Whoever she needs
by 11firegirl11
Summary: Katniss is back from the games, and she and Peeta have to continue living a lie. But when the Quarter Quell comes along and she is back in the games with someone who she thought was safe, there is no way for her to prepare for everything that happens.
1. Home, Sweet Home

**Whoever she needs**

**Hey guys, this is my first fanfic. I've written a few stories on quotev, but I always seem to lose track of them. So I stopped any other things I'm writing, and I'm focusing on this one story. But I want to apologize in advance for late updates. I'll try to keep authors notes to a minimum too. Okay, a short little thing first, I wrote this story because in the Hunger Games Movie, I thought Peeta wasn't reflected by Josh, and then I started thinking how Gale and Katniss would be perfect together, so yeah. This takes place right before catching fire. Yay! Now, onto the story. (This chapter will be short)**

As I gazed out the windows of the train, I think about what will happen now that I'm going home. I wonder if Gale has gone to work in the mines yet. I hope not. Maybe I can convince him to take some of our winnings, though I know he is too proud for that. I can always try, I guess. I look to Peeta standing on the other side of me. It broke my heart knowing that he wasn't acting, that he actually loved me. That I wouldn't be able to love him back. I don't have much time to think about this though, because the train lurched to a stop. I can hardly control my excitement to see Prim, Gale, my mom, the rest of the Hawthornes, everyone. I was so excited, I almost forgot that Peeta and I still had to keep up the star-crossed-lovers act. He grabbed my hand, we both plastered on our camera ready smiles, and we hopped off the train.

I am overwhelmed by everyone cheering, cameras flashing, and, well, the huge crowd. It was hard to believe so many people lived in District Twelve. I scanned the mass of people until I saw who I was looking for, Prim blowing me a huge kiss from atop Gale's strong shoulders. I wanted to run to them, but I knew I had to stay on the platform, at least till the cameras were gone. Peeta gently turned my chin to the side, and gave me a gentle kiss. He took my hand, and led my down to the crows, where my family. Gale's family and Gale, of course, were waiting. I lost all control I had when I saw Prim, beautiful, sweet, Prim. The tears started running down me cheeks, and I gave her a huge hug, never wanting to let go. I gave my mom a hug, and thanked her repeatedly for not shutting down again. The Hawthorne family rushed forward, and for a moment I was lost in the arms of overjoyed kids. That is, until I felt someone tap my shoulder. Gale said "When do I get my hug, Catnip?" and, deciding he's waited long enough, he got it. His strong arms around me smelled of leather, and pine. He smelled like home. I have never felt safer than I did right then, but I had to let go as to not raise the suspicions of the presss. It was too loud for any proper welcomes, so I whispered in his ear, "Woods. Right before dinner." He nodded, and Peeta was tugging at me now, pulling me through the crowd. He gave me a hug and murmured "See you later? My mom wants to move in as soon as she can." I nodded, and headed off with my Mom and Prim to our old seam house to move our meagre belongings to the Victors Village.

We dumped the boxes in the hallway upstairs, and my mom headed down to start a feast for when Hazelle and the kids were coming over. I ran out the door in a pair of worn jeans, leather hunting boots, and my father's old jacket. I didn't bother braiding my hair, so it hung loose in the curls from earlier. As usual, Gale was sitting on our rock. His back was turned, so I tried to sneak up on him, but failed as usual. He laughed and said "Have the Hunger Games softened you? You sound like a dancing elephant." Despite the remark about the games, which usually sets me off now, I laughed, and retorted, "Her, at least I was quiet before." He snickered and patted the rock, motioning for me to sit. I plopped down, and we sat, enjoying the fresh air. It wasn't an awkward silence like I had experienced with Peeta on the train, it was welcome and calming. Finally, he sensed something was wrong and asked "Do you wanna talk about it now?" The way he said it, I knew he expected the story sooner or later, so I started with "How much of the games did you see?"


	2. The Secret's Out

Gale starts telling me about what he saw of my games. He tells me about how he put off working in the mines, waiting for when I was back, and how he hunted most of the day. "It isn't the same without you, Katniss. I couldn't sleep, I spent all my spare time in front of the TV, I was worried to death about you."

"You still didn't tell me about what you saw."

"Okay. Well let's see, I saw how you were dehydrated and found the water, how the careers passed right under you, and I saw right up to the fireballs. Then I had to eat, I probably sat down for about a minute before I went to keep watching. I saw you when you were climbing the tree, and Cato was right behind you. I was so scared, Katniss, and when he fell, I nearly jumped up and had a celebration right there." I laughed quietly and motioned for him to keep going.

"Well, by the time you got the medicine, it was pretty late so I went to sleep. I had to hunt the next morning, so by the time I was back you were passed out on the log. I had a fit right there, I thought you were dead, Prim calmed me down and said it was just from tracker jacker stings. That settled me a bit, and Prim and I watched most of the games together after that at your house, she would tell me the parts I missed and I would protect her from the worst of it." I said "Thanks, I knew you would take care of her for me."

"You know it, Catnip. Anyways, when you found Rue, I was so mad, I worried about what would happen if you two were the last ones. But I couldn't be mad, because I knew I would do the same." I thought of Rue, a tiny, beautiful girl who would never live to see her dreams come true, never love, never marry. Although I didn't plan on it either. This brought tears to my eyes, and Gale gently brushed them away with his thumbs. His skin was chapped but smooth, and when he touched my face, I could feel myself shivering with his touch.

"Are you okay?"

I nodded, and he continued his story. "I was watching how you looked at her. I know she reminded you of Prim. Anyways, when you made that plan, and you headed to the cornucopia, I was worried you wouldn't figure out the trap, but obviously you did. When you blew up the mines, I was afraid you would be killed in the explosion. Oh yeah, how's your ear?"

"Well its fine now, the Capitol fixed it up."

"Good. Ears will be handy when you hunt," and I had to laugh at this, despite the gravity of our conversation. Just something thing I love about Gale. "Rue was moving to the third fire, when the net fell on her. She started screaming, and I wish I could tell her to be quiet, the screaming just attracted the boy. But it's understandable, in an arena with people trying to kill you, anything can set you off. When Rue died, they cut away to another scene, like they were trying to hide something. What happened with her?"

"Well the cutting away doesn't surprise me," I replied bitterly. "I sang to her. She asked me to, so I did. I guess I'm really glad they didn't play that to the entire nation. Then, I found some wildflowers, and I wove them through her hair, and I gave her a bouquet." This was bringing tears to my face already. Gale brushed them away again, and I got the same fluttery feeling as before. For some reason, I blushed. Gale laughed softly, and kept telling me his story.  
"They were showing Cato and Clove when the announcement came on. It was either going to be you and Peeta, or Cato and Clove. So obviously I was rooting for you guys. Peeta was hurt pretty badly, and I didn't know if he would last, but I knew if anyone was going to get him back on track, it would be you. And you found him, and cleaned him off, and you guys… stayed in that cave." His face fell a little at that. Was he jealous? I couldn't think of any reason, unless... No, I'm just being dumb now. Gale probably had his choice of every girl in the district, why would he choose me? But that didn't stop me from blurting out, "It was an act, you know that right?" Gale jerked his head up to meet my eyes. "You are a horrible actor. I know you have feelings for him.

"I did at one point, but I guess that faded away. Not anymore. I guess we're just not a good match." Gale turned to face me. He grinned, and said, "Good. That means I can do this." He leaned in, and pressed a gentle, tentative kiss on my lips. I was frozen in shock, and while my mind was screaming to kiss him back, my body refused to move. Gale must have sensed that, because he pulled away, embarrassed. He stammered, "Sorry, I didn't, I wasn't-" but I cut him off my wrapping my arms around his neck, and pulled him closer to me. Our kiss started slow and gentle, but I have a burning need for Gale. His kiss is nothing like Peeta's, which were short but sweet, his kiss is fueled by passion and desire. He gently turned my head to the side to deepen our kiss, and tentatively licked my bottom lip. At that, I opened my mouth slightly. Our tongues danced together, driven by the need of us both. His hands roamed freely up and down my back and shoulders, and mine tangled in his hair and gripped tightly at his shirt, afraid that if I let go, he would somehow disappear. We didn't break away until I had to come up for air. Panting slightly, Gale murmurs," I love you. I was going to tell you after the reaping, but Prim was reaped, and that kinda threw a wrench in my plans."

I didn't expect that. I didn't know how to that's why I didn't love Peeta after all we've been through together, because I knew that I loved Gale. I was just too blind to acknowledge it. "I-I love you too, Gale, I guess I didn't realize it till now. But this has to be a secret."  
Gale looked hurt, and I quickly backpedaled. "Well when I pulled out the berries, the Capitol knew it was a sign of defiance. Peeta and I have to act like we're desperately in love to play it off as if we couldn't live without each other, and if we don't, President Snow said he would kill my mom, and Prim, and...and you."  
He nodded, and whispered, " Its not going to be easy. But I'll do it, for you. Also, I don't think Peeta was acting. I think he really loves you."  
" Thats what he told me too. But I don't love him back. I love you, Gale." He smiled at that, and gently kissed my forehead.

"Sing for me?"

I usually don't sing for anyone, because it brought back painful memories of my father. But Gale was someone who I made many exceptions for. "Umm, sure." I searched my head for something appropriate, and came up with something I've sang quite a lot recently.

_Deep in the meadow, under the willow  
A bed of grass, a soft green pillow  
Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes  
And when you awake, the sun will rise._

_Here it's safe, here it's warm  
Here the daisies guard you from harm  
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true  
Here is the place where I love you._

_Deep in the meadow, hidden far away  
A cloak of leaves, A moonbeam ray, Forget your woes and let your troubles lay  
And when again it's morning, they'll wash away._

_Here it's safe, here it's warm  
Here the daisies guard you from every harm  
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true  
Here is the place where I love you__._

"You have a beautiful voice, you know. I've only heard you sing once before this." That caught me off guard. I've never sang to him, have I?

"When?"

"When you thought I wasn't here. That time when you took me to the lake, and I came earlier than you expected. You were singing The Hanging Tree, and the mockingjays were mimicking you. Then I popped up, and you tried to deny the fact you were singing. I don't think you realized that the mockingjays were still around, but I didn't push it."

"Oh. Well, other than Prim and my mom, You've officially heard me sing the most since… since my dad died." I fought hard to keep the tears in, but they were falling like raindrops to the ground. It's been years, but it doesn't make it any less painful to think of him. "I guess you've seen me cry the most too." He chuckled, brushed the tears off my face, and flicked his tongue out to taste it.

"Make a wish," I said. He closed his eyes, and pulled me in for another kiss. It wasn't passionate this time, it was soft, sweet, and comforting. He broke away, and whispered, "It just came true."

**Hey, I hoped you guys enjoyed the chapter. I'm going away on vacation for a week, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to post. If I can't though, I promise I'll have at least two chapters up on Nov. 15. I'm not very good with present and past tense, and I accidently changed it halfway through the chapter. Just tell me in the reviews, and I'll try to fix them. Thanks!**


	3. Live Life

I woke up the next morning not quite sure where I was. At first, I thought I was still in the Capitol. But as my mind became clearer, I realized the bed was way too hard to be a Capitol bed. And there was an arm. Whose arm was it?

"Mornin, Catnip." That snapped me out of daze. I whipped around, to see Gale laying on the grass beside me. We must have fallen asleep in the meadow last night.

"Hi," I replied, my voice thick from sleep. "How long have you've been up?"

"About an hour. It's almost 7. You should probably head back, before anyone comes looking for you. And I have to enjoy my second last day of freedom before I have to go work in the mines." My heart dropped. I didn't want Gale working in the mines, the same place his and my father died.

"Gale," I started, but he cut me off.

"Catnip, I can't take your money. Nothing you say will change my mind."

"Gale, I have money pouring out of my ears now. Please, I can't stand having you down there all day! I'll go crazy!"  
"Katniss, no. It wouldn't feel right, you would never have done it if our roles were reversed."

I started to protest, but it was true. If Gale had money galore, I would never take it unless my mom and Prim turned into skeletons blowing away in the wind. But if Gale was working, that wouldn't happen to his family. I had to make some kind of offer, and tilt the odds so they were in my favor.

"What if you work from 7-5 instead of 6-6? And I'll give you what you would have made, no more, no less." He looked as if he was considering for a while, but I knew what the answer was going to be. "Gale, please." To help my argument, I leaned in and have him a lingering kiss. He smiled, and cautiously replied, "Just for you. But I want another kiss." I pretended to be pouty, but my resolve broke when he leaned in and stole my breath, literally. His slightly chapped lips were up against my smooth ones, tongues flicking in a wrestle for dominance. He won, but I was happy to let him set the pace. For now.

We pulled back when a rustling sound came from a bush nearby, and Gale declared, "You should head back now. Your mom and Prim might still be sleeping if your lucky." I nodded, and asked "What about you?"

"I'll leave a bit later so no one gets suspicious. If anyone asks, you were at the Underground, and you slept at my place or something." The Underground? I've never been there before. It's like a club, it's an old mining tunnel half hidden by bushes and half by the slag heap. You crawl down a ladder to get there, apparently it's a lot of fun. I wonder...

"Gale, have you been to the Underground?"

"A couple times, yeah. Usually when were a bit better off."

"Is...is it fun?"  
"Hmm... Well it doesn't beat hunting, but yeah it's fun. If you go really early, there's some nicer music, better for a date or something, but the real fun starts around 10:00. There's more 'grown up' stuff, and usually some kind of drinking game. I'll take you sometime."

"Um..."

"It's okay. It's fun, plus I'm sure there won't be cameras or reporters or anything there so no-one will be suspicious if we go together." Did he just ask me on a date?

"Sure."

"Cool. You busy tomorrow? We could go around 9:00, dance, and then have some real fun." He gave me a hugely over exaggerated wink.

"Haha, sure." He gave me a peck on the lips, and pushed me towards the fence.

"Later, Catnip."

I ducked under the hole in the fence, walk towards Gale's house for a bit, then turn to face the Victors Village. Prim opens the door before I get a chance to knock.

"Katniss! Come see my room! Mom got me new curtains and sheets..." She continues jabbering on about her new room. That's one of the perks of being a Victor, I'll never have to worry about Prim starving, she'll have beautiful clothes, her own room, she'll get to enjoy cookies and sweets, something that I very rarely got before this. Prim drags me up to her room, and shows me the sky blue curtains, the pale pink sheets and the crisp white lamp.

"Its beautiful, Prim."

Then she pulls me to my room. I gasp out loud, and Prim's face beams into a huge smile.

"So you like it?

"  
"I love it, Prim. Thank you so much."

I pull her into a tight hug. She decorated my room for me, to make it more comfortable. There were beautiful deep green curtains with pine trees embroidered all along the bottom, and pale green sheets spread out on the bed. The cabinets were made of a beautiful dark wood, and there was a brownish red lamp, with small tassels attached to the shade. She also wove a rug, using a colour that matched the lamp almost perfectly. The entire room was tied together, decorated but not in an overwhelming way like it was in the Capitol. It had a calming feeling, sort of like the woods.

"Prim, thank you so much! It's beautiful!" She giggled, and said "Good, I hoped you would like it." I smiled at her and pulled her downstairs and out the door. I wanted to get a few things for my mom too. Prim and I settled on dark brown sheets, white curtains, and two small white lamps. It was starting to get dark, so we decided to stop by the bakery and grab a small loaf of bread.

"Hi, Katniss."

"Hi Peeta!" I leaned in for a quick kiss to keep up the charade, and requested, "Could I have a loaf of raisin bread?"

"Sure thing." He pulled one off a tray and wrapped it in baking parchment and handed it to me. I shoved a few coins into his hands, and started to leave when I caught Prim staring at one of the frosted cookies.

"Peeta, I'll have one of those cookies too, please." Prim immediately started to protest, but ignoring her cries, I handed Peeta the rest of my money in exchange for a small sugar cookie

.  
"I think you deserve a treat after all you did for me and my room, Prim." She pulls me home, going on and on about Lady and Buttercup.

**The good news is, Disneyland requires a lot of waiting, which means I can write on my phon and email it to myself. So I can update stuff! The next chapter is almost done, so I'll post it tomorrow if I'm fast. BTW, how do you guys feel about 'mature scenes?'**


	4. Underground

_The mutts were closing in. Their sharp fangs nipped at my ankles, and I felt their hot breath on my back. Prim was running alongside me, when she tripped and the mutts leaped on her. She tried to fight them off, but they were much stronger, and she was overwhelmed in a matter of seconds. "PRIM! PRIM, NO!"_

I woke up with a start, and clamped my hand over my mouth so I wouldn't scream. There was a cold sweat on my back, and I panted like a dog. My room suddenly felt like a prisom, with its walls closing in on me. I dashed downstairs, grabbed an apple off the counter, slung my hunting bag over my shoulder, and ran into the woods. I sat down on the cold rock, and inhaled deeply.

"You're up early today."

I whipped around, bow drawn in the blink of an eye.

"Whoa, easy there Catnip."

"GALE! You scared me!" I lowered my bow, and put the arrow back in its sheath.

"Sorry, but you're the one who scared me."

"What? How?" I was thoroughly confused at this point.

"Well you see, I was perfectly happy, sitting beside this bush when you decide to crash through here, and disturb me from my slumber." Despite the fact I was terrified from my nightmare, his Capitol voice managed a laugh out of me.

"Oh, I am terribly sorry sir, but you are so filthy you blend right in with the overgrowth," I retorted in my best Capitol accent. He chuckled and gave me a light kiss. But I wasn't done. Before he could pull away, I wrapped both my hands around his neck and pulled him closer to me. He didn't resist, obviously. Grabbing my waist, he pulled me down so I was laying on top of him. His nimble fingers undid my braid, and my hair cascaded down in gentle waves.

"You're beautiful, you know," he whispered in my ear. I smiled, and said, "What if I was wearing tattered old clothes, covered in mud, and smelled like a dead pig?"

"Hmm..." He stroked a fake beard and put on an over exaggerated pondering face. He broke out into a smile, and said "We'll you already look like that, and I'm not complaining, am I?" I laughed, and leaned in for another kiss. He quickly deepened it, and we battled for control. I won this time, though I think he let me. He nibble on my bottom lip, and trailed soft kisses down my jawline and onto my neck. I involuntarily let out a soft moan, and he retraced his path back to my lips. He whispered, "You taste like cherries."

"Cherries?"

"Yep. Cherries."

"That's odd, considering I had an apple this morning." He laughed quietly, and placed another gentle kiss on my lips. Despite myself, I couldn't stop the smile from coming.

"Your smile is making it very hard for me to kiss you," he whined.

"Good, we have some hunting to do anyways." I rolled off onto the grass, and he offered me a hand.

"I have to go around noon for some kind of photo shoot, but it will only be around two hours, then I have absolutely nothing to do until you take me to the Underground."

"Good. I'll come find you later?"

"Okay. Now let's hunt." We stalked through the undergrowth, eyes open for any prey. I could obviously buy butcher meat now, but I still loved rabbit stew and wild turkey, and Gale's family still needed the food. A rabbit bounded out of a bush, and an arrow found its way into the eye before I knew what I was doing.

"Good shot. Great shot actually. I'm gonna go check my snares quickly though, I'll find you around here later?" I nodded, and he silently disappeared into the trees. I shot a wild turkey and two squirrels when Gale showed up with three rabbits. He motioned for us to head back, and I ran towards him.

We headed down to the Hob, and bartered for a while with Greasy Sae. We emerged with a handful of coins, before stopping by Cray, who gave us a fair price for the turkey. I pressed the money into Gales hand and started to walk back to my house, hoping he wouldn't notice that I gave it all to him. But obviously, he did.

"We split the profits half and half, remember?" Gale reminded me.

"No, Gale, you need it. I don't."

"Katniss-"

"We're not going over this again. You keep it, but if you think it's so unfair, then the next time we get a wild turkey, it's mine. Happy?" He raised his eyebrows, and conceded,

"I would argue, but it's pointless with you." I laughed, and pushed him off towards his house. "Bye, Gale." He pointedly ignored me before ducking inside. I laughed.

As soon as I walked into my house, my prep team swarmed around me like ants, clamoring about my unkempt eyebrows and my rough nails. The swept me to the bathroom, before they started on a 'big, big job!' I emerged and hour or do later, looking 'human'. Cinna touched up my makeup and pulled a beautiful red and gold dress out of a bag, and pinned my hair up into the braided updo I wore for the reaping. He lightly dusted something over my arms, leaving them with a shimmery glow.

"It's beautiful Cinna, but you already knew that." He laughed, and ushered me out the door. When I got to the set in my living room, Peeta was already there. He motioned for me to sit down, and pulled me into a hug, planting a kiss on my head. CLICK. Then, he gave me a kiss on my cheek. CLICK. The camera man made a few adjustments, and Peeta stood up, pulling me with him. He left a soft kiss on my lips. CLICK. He grabbed both my hands in his, turned me so my back was against his chest, and tucked his chin on my shoulder. CLICK. Many poses later, we were finally allowed to leave. He asked me, "Are you busy tonight? I thought... maybe we could go get some dinner or something together?" Did he just ask me on a date? I guess so...

"Sorry, I'm going to the Underground with Gale tonight. We're meeting up with some of his friends." He looked disappointed at that, but quickly recovered and asked "Tomorrow?" I wasn't sure if I wanted to go if I'm honest, but I nodded and replied "Okay, what time?"

We finally decided we would go at 7:00 for a picnic before going on a walk through town. I excused myself and dashed up to my room, telling him wanted to change and wash off my makeup.

Gale knocked on my door right after I finished dinner. He was wearing a nice shirt, not as dressy as his Reaping shirt but nicer than his hunting clothes.

"Gale, do I have to wear a dress?" I never thought I'd ever ask him that.

"No, most people don't. Wear something nice though." He plopped down on the couch and started chatting with Prim. I went upstairs and changed into a pair of dark pants, and a pale green flowy top with beading around the edges.

"You look beautiful, Catnip. Lets go."

"Okay. You head in before me; I don't really want the headlines of the Capitol newspaper to be 'Girl on Fire cheats on true love!'" He laughed, but headed out the door. A few minutes later, I headed out but I took a slightly different path.

When I reached the back of the slag heap, Gale was waiting there for me. He pulled open the trapdoor, and said "Ladies first." I climbed down the wooden ladder into a, well, for better lack of words, a pit. It was dark, but there were lights placed around the tunnel. There was some slow music being played, and I saw many of the kids I went to school with dancing. Gale grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the dance floor.

"Gale?"

"MmmHmm?"

"I don't know how to dance." He just laughed, and despite my protests, pulled me over.

"Here, follow me."

The first dance was simple enough, when he put his foot forward, line went back. Simple. The next one had a few spins, but nothing much. My favorite was probably the last one. The fiddler played a nice, slow song, and Gale put his hands around my waist. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he pulled me close to him. Our foreheads were gently pressed together, we shared the same breaths. When it was over, he pressed his lips to mine. Being devoid of his touch for almost a whole day left me craving unconsciously, and I kissed him back ferociously, but he pulled apart far too soon.

"Come on, fast dances are next."

If being poor gave District 12 anything, it was the ability to know how to entertain. We danced and laughed, and tripped more than once over my feet. After a few dances, he pulled me away from the crowd.

"Where are we going?"

"Just meeting with some of my friends." We kept walking, when someone jumped out.

He yelled, "Ha! Scared ya!"

"Not quite, sorry Phoenix," Gale replied.

"So you brought the ever elusive Katniss, huh?"

"Yup." Gale turned around, and introduced me to his friends.

"Okay, I think you already know Phoenix. This is Jake, Dustin, Dennex and Ceran."

"Hi," I said tentatively. Gale looks quite at home with them though, and pulled me along. They set out some small glasses with some type of liquor in them, and explained the game that they were playing.

"So, it's Truth or Dare, but if you don't do it, you have to take a shot. When one of us has to leave, whoever has the most glasses left wins." It seemed pretty simple, but I haven't had liquor since I was in the Capitol, and it was very light too. I wasn't sure if I wanted to play. Luckily, Gale seemed to notice and spoke up.

"The lady here gets to stop when she wants to, okay?"

Phoenix said "Sure, lets play. Ceran, you're up first."

"Sure. Gale, truth or dare."

"Truth, I guess?"

"Tell me, you two are dating right?"

Gale turned a peculiar color, resembling a strawberry.

"Yeah..."

"Good. I knew she was faking in the games." How did he know? I didn't have too much time to ponder it, because Gale was up next.

"Dennex, truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"Go tell Madge you like her." Dennex promptly downed one of his glasses. Phoenix yelled "WIMP!" but he just shrugged. "Let's see... Katniss. Truth or dare?"

"Umm...Dare?"

Gale looked at me skeptically. "Are you sure?" Before I could say anything, Dennex said "Too late. I dare you to play seven minutes with Gale."

"What's seven minutes?"

"Well, there's an old supply closet in there. We go in for seven minutes," Gale explained to me. Seven minutes, alone? Sure.

"Okay." Gale looked surprised, probably at my answer, but led me over to a small room. Dennex closed the door, and told us he'd knock when time's up. It was dark, and I could hear Gale's heavy breathing. Suddenly his mouth was pressed against mine, and his hands were wrapped around my waist. My hands travelled up his back and to his neck. He gently bit my bottom lip, nibbling lightly. I flicked my tongue against his, and he returned the favor. Then he pushed me against the wall, and I was glad to have the support. I ran my hands down his back and around to his stomach. He trailed his mouth along my jaw, and sucked lightly at the skin between my collarbones, which made me let out a soft moan. We were interrupted by a sharp knock. I pulled back, disappointed, and slowly followed Gale out the door.

When we were back in the tunnel, Gale's friends gave us both knowing look. I'm pretty sure I blushed, but Gale cleared his throat pointedly, and told me, "Katniss. It's your turn."

"Oh, Dustin, truth or dare?"

I didn't pay much to the rest of the game; I couldn't keep my mind off what happened in the supply closet. When Gale said he had to turn in early for work tomorrow, I decided to leave as well. He walked me home, and pressed a kiss to my temple before whispering,

"I love you."

He slinked off into the night.

**Like it? Please review! This chapter was mostly filler, but the next one will have more action. I just have to wait until the Victory Tour to continue. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I won't go into too much detail but I promise, I read all of them. Bye!**


	5. Different Circumstances

Prim and my mom were making breakfast when I stumbled down the stairs the next morning. I was about to dig into my eggs and toast, when someone knocked on the door.

"Hi sweetheart, when you're done with whatever you're doing, come by my house." At first I thought he was drunkenly talking again, but I noticed he lacked the potent smell of liquor. His eyes portrayed something I couldn't quite pin down.

"Actually, I can come right now." He turned abruptly, and waved his hand for me to follow.

When we reached his house, the first thing I noticed was the smell. It reeked of alcohol and something else unspeakable. I almost gagged when it hit me, at least I didn't eat breakfast. I promptly pulled out a garbage bag, and started throwing old bottles into it. After it was relatively clear of glass bottles, I opened every window I could find and turned all the fans on. Then I went to find Haymitch. He was sitting on the couch, waiting for me to show up.

"Victory tour. What are you gonna do?" Hmm, the victory tour. I forgot about that.

"I don't know, wing it? Peeta can speak, I'll nod and smile, and at the parties I'll cling to him like the stupid love struck girl I'm supposed to be." He didn't look too happy about that, but decided not to say anything about it. Good choice.

"Well, I was hoping for something a little more detailed, elegant, specific, thought out, or something along those lines, but it's no use telling you. Tell lover boy to get over here on your way home." I looked towards him with distaste and left, gulping in the fresh air.

When I knocked on Peeta's door for the third time, I was sure he wasn't home. Just as I turned to leave, his mom swung the door open rather violently, and snapped "What?"

"Is Peeta home?" She yelled up the stairs for Peeta to get down, and I shifted uncomfortably in the doorway. Luckily, he came down rather quickly, and his face lit up when he saw me.

"Katniss! Hi!"

"Hi Peeta, Haymitch needs you. He wants to talk about the victory tour I think."

He seemed slightly put down when I told him that that was all I needed, so I asked him about our date tonight.

"Oh, yeah, I'll come get you around 7:00, like we said." I nodded, and started to leave. But he grabbed my arm, and turned me to face him.

"Katniss, I love you. You know that right?"

"Peeta, I do, but... I can't say it back. I-I'm sorry." I left before he could do anything. Doesn't he know? Why did he tell me? I already know! He knows! He knew that it was an act, I told him already. Maybe under different circumstances, if we met one day at school or something. But not the way we met. I told him on the train, so why does he keep telling me? Thinking about it hurts my head too much, so I decide not to and I head home, hoping to finish my breakfast quietly.

When Peeta arrived at my door, I was wearing a silky white dress and gold sandals, and curled my hair lightly like Prim insisted.

"You look beautiful, Katniss." Peeta leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks. Are you ready?"

"Sure. Let's go." He wrapped an arm around my waist, and though I was slightly uncomfortable, he seems relaxed enough.

Peeta led me to a small grassy spot, very close to where Gale and I usually meet when we go hunting. He spread out a checkered blanket, and tossed the basket on it.

"Have a seat, Katniss."

"Thanks. So are you excited for the Victory Tour?" He looked at me skeptically.

"What do you think?"

"I'm guessing no." He nodded, and started pulling rolls and cheese buns out if the basket. Then, he tossed out a few apples, some sliced turkey, and a small bag of hard candies.

"Not exactly a feast, but I think it would be nice for a picnic."

"It's perfect, Peeta. Thank you." He leaned in and pressed a kiss to my lips, the first one since the last time we were being filmed. I wasn't sure how to react, but he kept going, lightly licking my lip. He pushed his tongue against mine, not forcefully but not feather light either. I was starting to get uncomfortable, so I pulled away.

"S-sorry," he stuttered. I still didn't know what to make of it, so I waved it off and picked up a cheese roll.

"These are good, Peeta."

"Thanks. I made them this afternoon."

We ate in silence for a while, before Peeta spoke up.

"Katniss, you know, we're going to have to act again for the Victory Tour. Well you are, at least." Why does he have to bring this up?

"I know."

"Katniss, I want to try to turn this into something real between us." I almost choked on my turkey.

"Peeta, I already told you, I'm really sorry, but I don't have feelings for you... Maybe if we met under different circumstances?"

"Can't we try though?"

"Peeta, we already did."

"But we were forced to!"

"We're still being forced, remember?"

"Is that the only reason you came today?"

"I...no! It's not! I came because I wanted to!" He looked away, and sighed.

"I'm sorry Katniss. I'll stop pushing it on you. I-I think I need to go." I tried to stop him, but no words would form in my mouth. Confused, I ran to the rock that Gale and I always sat on, which wasn't very far. I was surprised to see him there.

"Gale?"

"Hey, Catnip." He patted the seat beside him, and I ran as fast as I could in my dress. He held his arms open for me, and I collapsed as the tears threatened to spill.

"What's up?"

"P-Peeta wants to try again. But I don't, and I don't love him, but he loves me, and he saved my life so many times. Should I love him? Is there something wrong with me?"

"Of course not. Just because he saved your life doesn't mean you're obliged to love him. And if everyone who loved you expected to love them back, your heart wouldn't be big enough, Catnip. Besides, what about me?" I let out a small laugh, and smiled up at him. He kissed my forehead, moved down to my nose, and finally, pressed his lips against my own. We sat there for a long time, with my head pressed against his chest and his hands running through my hair. I didn't know I fell asleep until he shook me awake, and said

"I think to time for you to go home." I nodded, and peeled myself off him. I ducked under the fence and headed home. I unlocked the door quietly, hoping I wouldn't wake up Prim.

There was a red envelope on my kitchen counter. And it was from the Capitol.

**Cliffhanger! Thanks to reviewers, I really appreciate it. Question: would you guys rather have a new arena for the Quarter Quell, or the same one? And if you'd like a new one, ideas would be helpful too. Thanks! Oh, and I would have had this up earlier but my computer wouldn't connect to the hotel wifi.**


	6. An Invitation

**Warning: Mature scenes in this chapter. If you do decide to skip it, don't worry, nothing happens that will affect the storyline. Also, I realized I didn't do anything about copyright stuff, so: I don't own the Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins does, and she owns all the characters too. **

_Dear Ms. Everdeen,_

_It has been a while since we have spoken, no? Well, I think it's time that that changes. During your Victory Tour, I will be watching. You see, I do not believe that you truly love Peeta. I do not believe that you pulled out those berries as an act of love, not rebellion. If it was someone else, like say, Mr. Hawthorne, it might be easier to believe. I will be meeting with you in the Capitol. Have a nice Tour._

_Sincerely, _

_President Snow._

How did he know? How does he know about me and Gale? We only saw each other in the woods, and once in the Underground. Other than that... Dang it. Didn't Gale say he loved me once outside my house? But there was no one there... I dashed outside, and checked the vicinity for cameras or microphones. I finally found what I was looking for glued to the upper left corner of the doorframe. I pressed my lips together, blinking hard to erase the tears. What have I done? What will they do to Gale now? And not to mention, it's the Quarter Quell, so Snow will probably find some way to throw him in. Without thinking, I had carried myself to Gale's house. It was late, but I decided to knock anyways. I knocked twice, but I got no answer so I quietly ran around to the back. A hand clamped over my mouth.

Instinctively, I bit down hard.

"Jeez, Catnip, you bite hard." The hand removed itself from my mouth, and I spun around.

"Gale?" I hissed.

"Yeah. Why are you sneaking around my house this late at night?"

"Why are you?"

"I couldn't sleep," he replied casually.

"Gale, I got a letter from Snow, he knows we're together."

"What? How? If he had cameras in the woods, we would have been called out a long time ago, and we've been pretty discreet everywhere else."

"I found a microphone," I replied flatly, "outside my front door. Where you said you loved me." He was speechless, a look of comprehension dawning on his sharp features.

"I can't believe I was so stupid," he hissed.

"Gale, there was no way you could have known. No one knew," I soothed, trying to placate him. He sighed, and pulled me closer to him. I felt the heat radiating off his body, his arms engulfing me in safety and warmth. I never wanted to let go. He gently set me down on the grass, ran inside and got some blankets, and tucked them around us. We were playing a dangerous game, but both of us were willing to risk it. He wrapped his arms around my waist, and I laid my head on his chest.

"I wish we could stay like this forever. No Victory Tour for you, no mines for me," he whispered.

"Same here, but my Tour is coming up in a few days. Gale, I don't think I can do it."

"You can do it. You fed your entire family for four years alone, starting when you were twelve. You survived the Games. You survived an open act of rebellion. You got two Victors in one year. There's no way you can't handle a silly little tour."

"Gale, Snow wants to meet with me." I feel him tense up beside me almost immediately.

"He said he doesn't believe that Peeta and I are in love. Well, were not, I guess, but I didn't rebel! I just couldn't kill him, he saved my life so many times!"

"So you honestly didn't love him?"

"Well..." I hesitated. I guess Gale took it the wrong way, because he pulled his arm back and sat up.

"You love him, don't you?"

"No! Gale, I loved him. LOVED, not love. I love you!" I was starting to get frustrated when he turned, and tilted my chin up, forcing me to look at him.

"Good. Now I know you love me." He kissed me, softly at first, but with a growing passion. The moon was high in the sky now; it was probably around 12 at night. I figured most people would be asleep, so I let down my guard and loved him with all my heart. His hands traveled down to my hips, and he pulled me onto his lap, lips never leaving my own. My braid came undone quickly, and my hands had a mind of their own as they ran through his hair, making it stand on end. I pushed into him, making him fall to the ground from his sitting position. I landed on him with an 'oomph', and he laughed a bit before using his mouth to leave a trail of light kisses down the side of my cheek. He moved around to my jaw, then back to my mouth. He nibbled on my bottom lip, then my top, and traveled down to my collarbone, leaving open mouthed kisses. I let out a soft moan, and wrapped one of my arms around him, trying to bring him closer and eliminate the remainder of the space between us. He pressed against me, and his hands roamed to the hem line of my shirt. I kissed him with burning need, our bodies were wrapped around each other, and his shirt suddenly seemed like a huge barrier. That thought pulled me up short. If I'm honest, that thought scared me a little. Gale sensed my hesitation easily.

"What's wrong?"

"I...um... Well I haven't exactly...done IT before..." I trailed off, unsure of how to finish. He just laughed, and I turned a deep shade of red.

"It's okay. We'll take it slow. Just tell me of you want to stop, or if you're unsure, or anything. I waited years; I can wait a few more. He smiled at me, before lightly placing a kiss on my lips. He kept going, slowly adding pressure, until we were right back at it. He rested his hands on my hips, and I decided that even though he could wait years, I couldn't wait anymore. I started to pull off his shirt, and I felt a faint smile on his lips, which were still pressed against mine. He allowed me to pull it off, and once that deed was done, he traveled down my neck and shoulder, stopping where my shirt starts.

"Are you sure about this? I have to warn you, if I start, it's hard for me to stop."

"I'm sure." He slipped my shirt off easily, tossing it aside. He wraps his hands around my exposed waist, sending shivers up my spine. He kisses my skin down my shoulder, and around each curve of my breasts. With an easy movement, he unclasps my bra, and pulls back, taking a moment to look at me. I feel a strange need to cover up my barely-there chest.

"You're beautiful," he breathed. I blushed again, and he leaned in and kissed my right breast, then took it in his mouth. I gasped at the contact, and let out a not so soft moan. He moved over to my left one, and gently massaged the other with his hand. He slowly moved down to my stomach, down to my bellybutton. He rested his hands on the waistband of my jeans, before looking up at me. I nodded, giving my consent. Gale them proceeded to pull them off smoothly in one motion. He kissed along the inside of my thigh, and along the waistband if my underwear before slipping them off. He ran his tongue along my folds, and I groaned at the touch. He moved up along my stomach again, making the wait almost intolerable.

"Gale! Stop teasing!" He laughed, and said, "Patience, Catnip." I pulled myself up to a sitting position, and pouted "How come you're still wearing clothes?"

Before he could say anything, I pulled belt off and started working on taking off his hunting pants and briefs. I ran my hand lightly along his length, not sure if I was doing it right, but between the moaning and the look on his face, he seemed to be enjoying it. I stroked it gently, and ran my tongue along it like he did to me. He made a primal sound, and his breathing was getting ragged and choppy. He moved my hand away, and put his fingers on my most sensitive area. He used his thumb to rub circles around my clit, and inserted a finger in me, slowly moving it around. He slowly built up the pressure, until I couldn't hold on anymore. "Gale, I-I'm," but I didn't finish before white hot ecstasy pulsed through my veins. I crumpled, all my energy spent. Gale wasn't about to stop yet though. He wrapped his hands around my waist, and flipped himself so he was positioned over me. He looked at me one more time, raising his eyebrows and silently asking if I was sure about it. I nodded, no backing out now.

He pushed himself into me, slowly and gently, but that didn't help the pain. It felt as if my insides were being ripped apart, and I couldn't stop the tear that rolled down my cheek. Gale kissed my tears away, and after a few moments the pain subsided and I relaxed a bit. He slowly started a small movement, watching me carefully to make sure he wasn't hurting me. The pain was replaced by pleasure, and a moan came from my throat as he pushed inside of me. His breathing became heavy and strained, and he filled me with heat before I tipped over the edge, and we collapsed in a tangle of limbs. His breathing matched my own, his heart hammering as fast as mine. The cool night air felt amazing on my searing skin, and he pulled me closer to him, kissed me again lightly, and whispered "I love you," before falling asleep.

**First time writing something like that. Tell me if it's okay. Victory Tour is next chapter!**


	7. Out of Love

Prim clung tightly to my waist, fighting to hold back tears.

"Katniss, I'll miss you."

"Prim, I'll miss you too, but I'm coming back in two and a half weeks, you don't have to worry." I gave her a kiss on the top of her head, before she nodded and pulled back.

"Try to have fun!" she jokingly scolded.

"I guess I can try." I turned around, ready to hop onto the train, when I almost ran into someone.

"Don't I get a goodbye hug, Catnip?"

"Gale! I thought you were working!"

"Nope, you can't shake me that easily." I laughed, and gave him a hug that as far as anyone else could tell was just friendly, but had something deeper for the two of us. He pulled away before it got suspicious, rumpled my hair, and headed down the platform.

"See ya, Catnip." I waved goodbye, before Peeta helped me onto the train. Effie announced that the first two days will be mostly traveling, then one district per day, ending with two days in the Capitol. Then we take a long trip back to District 12 for a party at the Mayors house. Peeta and I sit in silence for the first few hours, with his hand stroking mine. I don't have the heart to stop him.

"Dinner's ready!" Effie's shrill voice drifts in from the dining cart. We made our way over, and Peeta took the seat next to me. No one said much during dinner, until Haymitch declared, "Anyone want a drink?"

Effie asked for a glass of champagne, and I asked for something rather light. Peeta looked at me incredulously.

"You drink?"

"Yeah, why not?" He raised his eyebrows, but said nothing more.

When we finally arrived in 11, all we could see was the flat fields of crops, stretching for miles. There were humongous fences with guard towers and peacekeepers patrolling the scene. People looked up from their work to stare at the train, before taking off their hats and radon the same direction as us. We hopped off the train and made our way to the stage. Peeta spoke first.

"Well first of all, I'd like to say they even though I don't know Thresh or Rue, I know that Rue was critical to the plan that allowed us to come home, and that Thresh spared Katniss' life. And without them, we wouldn't be here today." He gave me a light kiss. Then it was my turn.

"I didn't know Thresh personally, but he saved my life, and I always admired his silent strength. Rue, however, was like a sister to me. She reminded me so much of my own sister, Prim. She was an honorable ally." I bowed my head, but it snapped up when I heard Rue's four note tune being whistled from the crowd. Gunshots rang out immediately. We were ushered off stage where Haymitch was cursing whoever whistled her tune.

"That bastard got himself killed, and put you two in danger," he ranted. Peacekeepers grabbed my shoulders and led me towards the train, but Peeta shoved them off and snapped "She can walk perfectly fine." I silently thanked him by squeezing his hand, and we stepped onto the train. It started moving immediately. Effie stumbled in, looking a bit worse for wear.

"It's chaos out there! I hardly got on the train before it lurched away!" I tried my best to suppress a laugh, but my shoulders shook violently. Peeta settled his arm around my waist, and though it was a bit awkward, the comfort was good, because Haymitch started telling us about what actually happened out there.

"That, sweetheart, is a riot." My eyes must have popped out of my head, because Haymitch laughed, and said "Don't look so surprised."

"So what will we do for the rest of the tour?" Peeta voiced my thoughts perfectly.

"Well, act like you're stupid kids in love."

"But we're not!" I blurted. Haymitch laughed bitterly, and left. Peeta looked at me with hurt in his eyes, and he pulled his arm back from around my waist. He silently walked back to his room. I sat there, wishing I was with Gale, not sure of what I could do.

The rest if the districts passed with little interest. Every day, we read our short speech at the Justice Building, ate at a fancy dinner, and danced and kissed the night away at the ball. We were always escorted back to the train. We were only reading off scripts provided by the Capitol now; we couldn't add our own flair. In District 9, we heard a gunshot, but no one knew why. In District 4, we met the sex symbol of Panem, Finnick Odair. In District 2, no one paid any attention to us except to give us glares and dirty looks. Finally, we arrived at the Capitol. I could've said I was glad, if it weren't for this 'talk' with Snow.

We arrived for the interviews slightly late, and without a word, my prep team ushers me into a change room. The buff my skin, shape and paint my nails, and wax my legs. My hair is curled lightly, and sprayed with something that makes it shimmer when I move. They clear out when Cinna arrives.

"Hello, my girl on fire."

"Cinna!" I run forward and give him a hug. He smiles, and says "Yep. It's me."

Without wasting any time, he pulls out a dress for me. It's a pale gold, with red trimmings. The material shimmers, and it almost gives off a glowing aura around it. I slip it on, along with some gold heels, and I don't have time to thank Cinna before I'm pulled onto the rising platform.

"Remember sweetheart, you love Peeta, you couldn't hurt him. That's your motto now," Haymitch reminds me. I nod, and I'm raised onto the stage where Peeta is already sitting on a plush love seat. I sit down right next to him, so close that I'm practically sitting on his lap. Ceasar smiles at me, holding out his hand. I take it, and he kisses my palm.

"It's great to have you here!"

"It's a pleasure to be here, Ceasar." It's good that Peeta's talking, because my mouth is so dry, anything I saw will probably come out as a croak. Ceasar asks Peeta a few questions about life in 12, before directing his attention to me.

"So Katniss, why don't you tell us a few things you love about your life now?"

"Well, I live right next to Peeta now." The audience sighs at that. "I also love being back with my best friend, Gale." Ceasar raises an eyebrow. "Best friend?"

"Yes, best friend. He's nothing else, just a friend, and I wouldn't have it any other way," I stress. Ceasar smiles at this, and I continue on. "Well, now I am afford many more things, like sweets, and I can also get my sister Prim anything she wants. I love her so much, and if she's happy, I'm happy." The audience gave a contented "Awww!" Ceasar asks a few more questions, before the buzzer rings, telling us time is up. Peeta helped me to my feet, and pulled me in for a long kiss.

At the ball, I clung to Peeta's arm, hoping to look like some stupid love struck girl. When we showed up, everyone crowded around, asking for photos, autographs. About halfway through the evening, the crowds died down and we were alone, just quietly dancing and sampling foods. He leaned closer to me, and I was afraid he was going to kiss me when we whispered "Haymitch has to talk to you later." I didn't get a chance to ask him why, because Plutarch Heavensbee, the new head game maker, tapped my shoulder and asked for a dance. Peeta pulled his arm away from my waist, and joked, "Don't get too attached." Plutarch waved him off, and we started dancing. He seemed to notice my discomfort, because he held me at almost arms length.

"So, Katniss, how are you?"

"I'm doing fine, thank you." The song ended, it was rather short. I thought Plutarch would request another dance, but he pulled out a gold watch with a mockingjay on it instead. "I'm sorry, but I have a meeting to attend, for the Quell."

"Oh, don't worry about it." He snapped the gold watch closed before kissing my hand and leaving. I was mostly left alone after that, until an Avox motioned for me to follow him. My hands broke out in a cold sweat when I remembered how Snow wanted to meet with me. He led me to an office decorated with paintings of the last kill of each of the Games. A door across from me opened, and I whipped around. Snow.

"Have a seat, Ms. Everdeen." I sat in one of the red seats in front of his desk. He leaned forwards slightly, and the scent of blood and roses filled my nostrils. I almost gagged.

"Ms. Everdeen. Let's agree not to lie to each other. I think it will make it easier for both of us." I simply nodded.

"Tell me, do you truly love Peeta?" The question struck me across the face. Was it that obvious? I dumbly shook my head, deciding lying would be a waste of energy.

"I see, my suspicions have been confirmed. Well you see, Ms. Everdeen, the truth is, I couldn't care less about your silly love life if you weren't such an impact. When you pulled that berry stunt, many took it as a sign of rebellion, not love, as you claim. Now I think, you were just being silly and could not bring yourself to kill him. Am I correct?" How did he figure all this out? Not knowing what I could do to defend myself, I nodded again.

"Ah, yes. Well, as long as you keep up the facade. Not many people can see through it in the Capitol, but it seems our friends in the districts are quite clever. Ms. Everdeen, I'll be forward with you. You are starting some, let's say, unrest." That caught me off guard.

"Unrest? Like uprisings?

"Yes. Uprisings. And we can't let that happen, can we? You are a spark in a pile of tinder. Ms. Everdeen, what do you do with a flame that cannot be controlled?"

"You put it out," I replied numbly.

"Yes. You are quite clever, aren't you? A controlled flame is good, it cooks your food and keeps you warm. But an uncontrollable flame is dangerous, and it has to be put out before any further damage can be done." He pauses, before sipping his tea and continuing. "Well, I hope you enjoy the remainder of this party." _And your life._

"Thank you," I replied curtly. I excused myself, and somehow ended up in the ballroom. The remainder of the party was rather uneventful, though that was good. My head was swimming with thoughts, and before long, Peeta steered me towards the exit. We were halfway to our room, when Haymitch showed up and pulled me discreetly into an empty hallway. He told Peeta to go up.

"Okay, I have to make this quick, sweetheart. There's a rebellion happening. The face of it is you, and your little mockingjay. We want to act after the reading of the card, so we know what's in store for the Quell. We plan to escape to district 13, which by the way, still exists. I will tell you a few more details later, but for now, don't speak of this. The walls have eyes and ears." He promptly left, leaving my mouth hanging and my questions unanswered.

I ran up to my room, plopped down on my bed, as my thoughts raced through my head. Face of the rebellion? What if I say no? District 13 is still here? Why didn't they help us? How did we never find out about them? I decided to get up and take a shower before I got too caught up in my thoughts. I didn't bother drying off after, opting instead to go straight to bed.

We were back on the train the next day, waiting it out. Peeta occasionally came to chat with me, but he spent most of the time in his room. I wandered aimlessly around the train, when Haymitch motioned for me to follow him out. We went to the back of the train, onto an open air cart. I could hardly hear him over the wind. Maybe that was the point.

"Okay sweetheart. Any questions?"

I knew what he was talking about. All the questions from last night seemed to evaporate into thin air.

"Umm, well I did, but not anymore."

He looked at me skeptically, but nodded and went back inside. I decided to stay, the wind whipping in my face felt soothing. It wasn't until Effie stumbled in that I realized we were almost back in 12. I went to the bathroom to braid my hair again, and splashed some water on my face. The train finally lurched to a stop, and Peeta helped me out. We made our way over to Mayor Undersee's house, and danced to a few songs before taking a seat next to Madge.

"You look beautiful, Katniss," she told me.

"Thanks. I wish I was wearing your dress though. It's simple and elegant." And I want lying. My dress was floor length, shimmery, sparkly, and slightly poufy. Hers was a knee length simple white dress, with thin straps and a blue lining on the bottom. Madge blushed lightly, and excused herself. She grabbed two drinks, and headed towards me.

"Here. Champagne mixed with carbonated water." I grabbed the glass, grateful for something to drink. I took a sip, and it wasn't too alcoholic, yet it didn't taste bland and watered down.

"I like it," I told her.

"Me too. If we have guests, my father lets me have some." I smiled at her, and we sat together quietly chatting until I went for a few more dances with Peeta. He smiled the entire evening, though towards the end, it seemed a bit...forced. I shook it off, and left as soon as Effie said it was 'publicly acceptable'. I ran back to my house in the Victors Village, and collapsed onto the bed, exhausted and spent.

**Long chapter, but I wanted to finish up with the Tour quickly. A bit rushed, please excuse any grammar or spelling mistakes. As always, I appreciate reviews! **


	8. Worrying Won't Do Anything

The rest of the month passed without flourish. I ran towards the edge of the district, hoping to go hunting with Gale. I checked the fence for a low hum, but it was silent. I ran into the meadow, and Gale was already sitting there.  
"Hey, Catnip."  
"Hi Gale." I took a seat, before Gale asked "I was hoping you would tell me on your own accord, but you didn't, so I have to ask. What did Snow say to you during the tour?" I just remembered that I never told him.  
"Sorry, I forgot to tell you, didn't I?" He nodded, and motioned for me to continue.  
"He said there are uprisings in the district that were caused by me pulling out those berries. He called me a spark, and the rest of the districts tinder." Gale looks at me worriedly, probably anticipating what I'll say. I swallow hard and fight to keep my voice steady and my eyes dry.  
"And, well, when a flame becomes dangerous, you put it out." No matter how much I blink, no matter how hard I try, I can't hold back the tears anymore. I'm not worried for my own life; I'm worried for Gale's. He knew that Gale and Prim were the only ones who I could never truly recover from if they died, and Prim's name being called twice was too suspicious, so that left Gale. Snow will probably find some way to throw him in the games. Gale wrapped an arm soothingly around my waist, and gently pushed my head on his chest.  
"There's something you're not telling me," he states. How did he know?  
"How did you know?"  
"You've never cried over your own life before. Only others." He was right, during the Games I thought of Prim, not me. And to be honest, I'm not worried about my life now, I'm worried about Gale's.  
"Gale, I think Snow will put you in the Quarter Quell." He breathes in sharply, and pulls me closer to him. He's silent, nothing can be said to make this any better.

"Well, I guess we can't do anything about it. Worrying won't stop Snow."

I nod, knowing he's right, but it's still hard for me to stop crying.  
We sit there for a long time until my tears finally stop flowing. By then, it was about mid-afternoon and the sun was bright and hot.  
"Do you want to go to the lake and cool off?" I asked Gale.  
"Sure." He pulled me up and took my hand in his. We walked silently through the woods until I saw the gleaming surface of water. I pulled my hand from his, and started running before I yelled back, "Race ya there!" He rolled his eyes before starting after me. I'm a pretty fast runner, but so is Gale, and his legs are so much longer than mine. He caught up to me when we were at the bank, and he grabbed me and threw me over his back. He slowed down to a jog, while I tried fruitlessly to escape.  
"Don't get too feisty now, Catnip." He started to slow down when we were at the edge, and lowered me from his grasp.  
"Don't you DARE throw me in the lake, Hawthorne."  
"Actually, that's a good idea, Everdeen." Oh. No.  
I felt my body sink into the ice cold water, before I came up, sputtering for air.  
"Gale, I will kill you, I swear." He just laughed, and sat down the ledge where he threw me in. I clambered up beside him, clothes dripping wet. Time for revenge. I gave him a sugary sweet smile, and tried my best to look innocent.  
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be so harsh." I ran forward, and gave him a huge hug, messing up his hair and dirtying up his clothes.  
"Eww, get off me!" But I wasn't done yet. While his guard was down, I managed to tip him over the ledge, and we both fell into the lake. The difference, though, was that I was prepared. I came to the surface to breathe without a hitch, but when Gale came up, he was choking on water and trying to get his breath back.  
"I- will- get you- for th-that," he said between breaths. I laughed, and swam towards shore. He pulled himself up after me, before pulling off his jacket and his shirt.  
"What are you doing?"  
"I don want to catch a cold." He smirked, before pulling off his pants and setting them out in the sun to dry. Then, he came a little closer to me, and pulled off my jacket, then my shirt.  
"Gale-" but I was cut off with a kiss. He pulled my pants off, and placed them next to his. He came back into the shade, and sat down, pulling me into his lap. I turned around to face him, and he kissed my nose, and then moved down to my lips. I kissed him back, and ran my fingers through his hair. He traced small circles on my lower back, sending shivers up my spine. He moved his lips down my neck, sucking lightly, then moved back up, nibbling at my earlobe. He kissed down my cheekbone, and returned to my lips. I pulled away after a while, and moved down his jaw line to his neck, and around to his collarbone. He moaned, but pulled my face up to meet his. He kissed me again, and unclasped my bra, flinging it to the side. He gently rubs my breast, and I let out a guttural sound, enjoying the feel of his chapped hands on my tender skin. He kissed down my belly, before he slowly pulled off my underwear. He rubbed my most sensitive area, and I gave a small moan in reply. He pulled himself up to meet my face, before inserting his length in me. I was filled with pleasure and warmth, and he slowly strokes in and out of me.  
"Gale...I...I'm..." But before I can finish, he releases, and pulls out before I could have my own pleasure. He smirked, and laughed once he saw my face.  
"I said I would get you for pushing me in the lake. Now I did. He pulled on his underwear, before pulling in his pants, which were mostly dry. I sat there, seeing, but not believing. I pulled on my underclothes but nothing else, and sat and pouted while he pulled on his shirt. He smiled and sat down next to me, pulling me into his lap again. He kissed me lightly, but I refused I return the favor.  
"Come on, Catnip." He licked my lip, and trailed kisses down my jaw, before returning to my mouth. I sat there unmoving. He sighed, and settled on running his hands through my hair and tracing random shapes on my back. I refused to react, so I sat there stiffly until he murmured "I'm sorry. I didn't know it would upset you so much." Deciding he's suffered enough, I kissed him. He laughed, but kissed me back. He ran his hands down my waist, making me shiver. Our clothes came off once again.

**Oooh! ;) know it's not very "in character", but I couldn't help myself. Sorry it's so short, I'll have the next chapter up tomorrow, I promise.**


	9. Not Just Conincidental

**Sorry guys. I said I would post yesterday, and I wish I had some kind of excuse, but to tell the truth, I was being a lazy ass. But I hope you enjoy these two chapters! Double update!**

It was only a few more hours before President Snow was going to walk on a stage and pull out a card, a card with some evil twist that was sure to get Gale thrown in to the Games. I invited his family over for dinner, and they gladly accepted. My mom told me and Prim to buy a two loaves of bread from the bakery and some blackberries from the Hob. The blackberries were tricky to find, because Gale and I usually supply them, but in the end, we found them anyways. We picked up a small basket full before I decided to buy some sweets from the candy store. I got a small chocolate for each member of mine and Gale's family, plus an extra one for Prim. She popped the chocolate into her mouth before dragging me home, talking about all the things she had to prepare. I dropped off the food at home before deciding I would visit Peeta and discuss the Quell, since I was about as useful as a dog in the kitchen.  
When I knocked on his door, luckily he answered instead of his mom.  
"Hi, Katniss. Can I help you?"  
"Yeah, I was wondering if you wanted to talk? About the Quell, that is." He nodded, before pulling on some shoes and joining me outside.  
"So what do you think the twist will be this time?" I was pretty sure I knew what the twist would be, but I wasn't sure if talking about it in the streets would be a good idea.  
"I'm not sure, actually. Maybe they would find a way to put people who were technically ineligible in the Reaping bowl." That was only half the truth. The only ineligible name in the bowl would be Gale's, and I was sure of it.  
"That would definitely be possible. Maybe they would throw in over age or under age people."  
"Or no alliances or you get attacked by a mutt."  
"That would be good for everyone except the careers to some point."  
"Yeah, I guess." By now, we were almost at the market. We decided to stop talking about such depressing things, and instead, we chatted a bit about our lives. It was a few minutes past 5:00 when I saw Gale coming out from the mines. Peeta and I were holding hands, to keep up our 'star struck lovers' act, and Gale looked at me with something on his face that I couldn't quite read...jealousy? Gale couldn't be jealous…could he? I already told him I loved him. Twice. That's some kind of a record for me. I broke away from Peeta, and told him I'd be right back.  
"Gale!" He turned to look at me.  
"Hi," he replied.  
"You're still coming for dinner right?"  
"Only if you're still having me."  
"Of course." I wanted to give him a hug, but decided against it because of people's assumptions and all the coal dust on his clothes.  
"I have to get home, take a shower before I come over tonight." I nodded and waved, before making way back to Peeta. But he wasn't there. Where could he have gone? I wandered around the market for a while, before I spotted him buying some apples.  
"Peeta, why'd you leave?"  
"Oh, sorry, I thought you were going with Gale."  
"I just went to say hi," I informed him. He gave me a boyish grin.  
"I have to get back, Peeta, Gale's family is coming for dinner so we can watch the reading if the card together. He nodded, before taking my hand in his, and leading me towards the Village with his arm around me protectively.  
I walked into the kitchen, and the smell was amazing. It was coming from the blackberry cobbler sitting on the counter. I leaned in to sniff it, but Prim shooed me away.  
"Katniss, you have to get changed, you can't wear your hunting clothes to dinner." I rolled my eyes playfully at her.  
"Okay, little duck. Do you want to help me?" Prim nodded enthusiastically, and ran up the stairs to my room. We finally decided on a simple deep green dress with a gold trim, and gold sandals. Prim insisted on curling my hair the way Cinna taught her to. I convinced her not I do my makeup, but she wanted to do her own, so I let her play around a bit before she got frustrated and washed it all off.  
"You look the best without makeup, little duck." She blushed, and headed downstairs without saying a word. I followed suit.  
When a knocking sound came from the door, I rushed to open it. Hazelle and the kids rushed in, and Gale's jaw dropped when he saw me, probably out of surprise from seeing me in a dress.  
"Prim wanted me to dress up," I explained. "He leaned in and whispered in my war quietly, so any microphones wouldn't pick up what he's saying.  
"You look beautiful." I tried not to let much emotion show on my face, but I whispered a thanks before closing the front door. We all sat around the dinner table and feasted on butcher's meat, bread, potatoes, lettuce, and the chocolates that I bought earlier. Dinner was over far too soon, and we huddled in front of the TV, waiting for the President Snow's announcement. I curled up on the couch beside Gale, Hazelle and my mom watched from the kitchen, Vick and Posy were on the carpet, and Prim with Rory on the armchair. They looked cozy. I'd have to ask about that later. The TV suddenly turned on, and we were looking into Snow's snakelike eyes. He pulled a gold envelope out of a box, and slowly opened it. The City Circle was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. He started reading, his voice cold and uncaring.  
"50 years ago, the tributes were voted in by their loved ones. 25 years ago, double the amounts of tributes went into the arena. And for the third Quarter Quell, to show that no one is truly out of the Capitol's grasp, the tributes will be reaped from the existing pool of victors, and someone from the ages 18-25. For districts 1 through 6, the victor will be male, and for districts 7 through 12, the victor will be female." I didn't comprehend this at first. Hazelle gasped. Prim started crying, Rory stood up, furious. Gale pulled me closer to him, and I finally figured it out.  
My worst fears were confirmed. Gale was going into the arena. And so was I.


	10. A Team? That's Us

There  
was no possible way this was a coincidence. Snow must have planned this  
himself, it was too perfect. I buried my head into Gale's chest, and before I  
could stop them, tears poured out onto my cheeks.

"Shh, it's okay," he soothed.

"How can it be okay? I'm going, you're going, and they sure as hell won't  
have two winners this year."

"Don't worry Catnip. We'll figure it out. We always have, haven't  
we?" I nodded, and he helped me up to my room. How can he stay so strong  
at a time like this? He's going, I'm going, and half the people in the arena  
are victors with deadly skill sets, yet all he can think about is comforting  
me. I have to pull myself together, for my mom, for Prim, for Gale. I dry the  
tears, and I plop down on my bed. Gale lowered himself down beside me, and  
wraps his arm around my shoulder, running his fingers through my hair.

"So what's the plan?" he asks.

"What?" A plan? There's no plan. We would go in, he would come out.  
That was the plan.

"We need a plan. You're sure Snow will throw me in right? And you're the  
only female victor. So we plan."

"We could train. Like Careers."

"Yeah. We train until the Quell, that's got to be at least some  
help."

"And you need to stop working in the mines. So we can train longer."

"Katniss, I don't think-" I cut him off with a glare, and he furrowed  
his eyebrows and pursed his lips, but nodded. At least he won't be a hundred  
feet in the ground, shovelling dirt for the rest of his life.

"We start tomorrow," I declared. He nodded his agreement, and pulled  
me off my bed.

"Let's head downstairs." We hoped down the stairs, to come face to  
face with a furious Rory.

"How can they do that?! They just broke two rules! Once you're a Victor, you don't go back in. Once you're over  
18, you slave away in the mines!"

"Rory, there are no real written rules for the Games," I told him.  
Prim came in, with red eyes from crying. She wrapped her arms around me.

"K-Katniss, I don't want you to go again!" she sobbed.

"It's okay Prim. Shh, it's okay. I have to go see Haymitch quickly, but  
I'll be right back, okay?" I grabbed Gale's hand and dragged him out the  
door, ignoring the worried face of my mom.

"Why do we have to go see Haymitch?"

"He'll help us train. So will Peeta. They are our mentors now, Gale."

I knocked loudly on Haymitch's door, surprised to find Peeta there.

"I was wondering when you'd come by, sweetheart."

"Haymitch. You need to help us train," I ordered.

"Us?"

"Snow is going to put Gale in. I'm sure of it. He practically told  
me." I looked over to Gale, who was standing awkwardly, not sure of what  
to do.

Haymitch nodded slowly, before getting up and saying

"Okay. Training starts tomorrow at 8:00. We do fitness in the morning,  
weapons in the afternoon, and we watch previous games in the evening. You  
two," he pointed at me and Gale, "should probably get some  
sleep." Peeta nodded, and I thanked both of them, before pushing Gale out  
the door.

"So we train like Careers until the Quell," Gale stated.

"Yeah. I'm going to tell my mom and Hazelle, okay?"

"I'm coming with you." We marched into the kitchen, and Gale told our  
parents.

"Mom, Katniss said that Snow will make sure I'm chosen for the Quell, and  
Katniss is the only female victor. So we're going to train. It will increase  
our odds of one of us getting out alive." Hazelle nodded, and said  
"I'll prepare healthier meals for you two. Mrs. Everdeen or Prim can teach  
you two more about healing." I nodded, and Prim took it upon herself to  
make sure we got to bed early enough. "Go to sleep, you two. You have to  
be ready by 8:00 tomorrow!" Gale laughed, and headed out the door. I  
changed into my pyjamas, and crawled under the sheets, anticipating the next  
day.

When my eyes opened, the sun was streaming in and there was something at the  
foot of my bed.

"You're awake?" Gale?

"Why are you here Gale?"

"It's 7:30. You should get up. Prim let me in." I rubbed the sleep  
out of my eyes before sitting up.

"Let me get dressed. I'll meet you downstairs for breakfast, okay?"

"Sure thing, Catnip." He silently left the room. I changed into my  
hunting clothes, thinking it would be the most comfortable, splashed some cold  
water on my face, and quickly braided my hair before jogging downstairs. When I  
got there, everyone was already eating. Hazelle made eggs, sausages, and toast,  
with a glass of milk. I gulped down breakfast, and arrived at Haymitch's house  
a few minutes before 8:00. Peeta opened the door.

"Okay, fitness first. Haymitch is still sleeping, he told me to tell you  
guys to run around the district." That wasn't too bad of a run.

"I'll time you, and you have to try to beat your time every morning."  
Gale grabbed my hand and steered me towards the fence. We started jogging,  
being careful not to exert ourselves too early. We were about halfway around  
when I had to stop for a while.

"Gale, can we walk for a while?"

"Sure." He wasn't as winded as I was, because his legs were longer  
and he could run faster with less energy, but his breathing was still strained.  
We kept going at a brisk walk, until I felt good enough to keep running. We  
made it to the Village at around 8:57.

"57 min. Not too bad." Peeta wrote down our times on a clipboard. He  
was about to say something when Haymitch stumbled out of his house.

"40 sit-ups and 40 push-ups," he ordered. Gale looked slightly  
annoyed as his tone, but he sat down and started on his sit ups. I joined him,  
and we talked quietly the whole time.

"So, what do you think I should work on for weapons?" Gale asked me.

"Well you're decent with a knife; you should get better at that. And  
you're good with a bow too."

"Not like you. I'm good, you're amazing." I smiled, before  
continuing.

"I want to learn some knife throwing too, and we could both benefit from  
spears and swords, but those are pretty hard to find here." He chuckled,  
and replied "I'll teach you a few snares. And I have to work on climbing  
trees too." I nodded.

We finished the rest of our push-ups in silence, and I was started to find  
Peeta staring at us when we finished. He looked at Gale funny, before telling  
us to go find Haymitch.

"He said he got something special for you guys." We ran towards Haymitch's  
house, and found him in his backyard. There were two targets set up, and two  
dummies leaning against the fence. On his deck, he had my bow, Gale's bow and a  
set of shiny knives. There was also a bundle of twine and rope, two spears, two  
swords, and a bunch of fake birds, probably for target practice.

"Tada!" he yelled, before taking another swig of liquor. Gale pursed  
his lips at that.

"How did you get our bows?" I demanded.

"Your sister told me where they were." Did I tell Prim where I kept  
my bow? I don't think so... I brushed it off, thinking I probably mentioned it  
around her.

"Where did you get spears and swords?" Gale inquired.

"I got connections. Now, train." He stumbled inside. Gale narrowed  
his eyes at him, and walked over tithe weapons. He picked up the bow.

"Bows first. Get the easy stuff over with." I nodded.

"Here, I'll throw up a bird, you hit it. Then we switch."

I lobbed it up, and Gale shot it in the body. We were aiming for the head, but  
it was a good shot nonetheless, he threw up a bird for me, and I got it in the  
eye as usual. We kept going until Gale was hitting it in the eye consistently,  
and when we lowered our weapons, someone yelled

"You guys are amazing." I looked over towards the voice, and saw Peeta looking on. I  
smiled at him.

"Thanks." I put down the bow before picking up a knife, the weapon  
feeling foreign in my hands. Gale chose a slightly larger one, and took a  
stance about 5 feet back from the board. He threw it, until it hit the bulls  
eye three times. It only took him three tries. Then, he moved a few feet back,  
and started throwing again. He hit the bulls eye consistently three times, then  
he moved a few feet back again.

"Care to join me?" I nodded, and stood a few feet in front of my own  
board. I was about to throw the knife, when I felt Gale's body against my own.  
He moved my arms a bit, and turned my torso more to the side.

"There. Now when you throw, turn your torso and whip your arm  
around." I wondered how he knew all this stuff.

"Where did you learn this stuff?"

"Let's see, watching people in the Games, watching people who are bored  
down in the mines, and years of experience." He smiled, and gestured for  
me to take a shot. I threw the knife, hoping to get a good stick in the board.  
It landed on the third ring, firmly planted. Gale held me before I could move  
out of my position, and said,

"After you throw, you're stance should be  
more like this." He moves my arm slightly lower, and moved my foot farther  
away from my body. His gentle touch makes me shiver. I nod, and throw again,  
trying to match his stance. I have to throw a few times before I hit the  
bulls-eye. When I do, Gale smiles at me, and Peeta nods approvingly. We keep  
working with the knives until I can hit the bulls-eye consistently from a close  
distance, then we move on to spears. Peeta is better with spears than both of  
us, so he showed us the proper stance and the easiest way to grip the spear  
itself. Gale catches on easily, but I find the spear too long and bulky to use  
nimbly. Setting it down, I decide to keep going with the knives, when Prim runs  
in.

"Katniss, Haymitch says you guys are done." Huh. That was fast. I  
checked the clock, and realized it was already dinner time. We were so caught  
up in training, we forgot to eat lunch. My stomach rumbled, right in cue.

"When are we having supper little duck?"

"As soon as you guys put your stuff away." I wiped off little bits of  
dirt on the blade before setting it down amongst the other ones. Gale wipes the  
head of his spear, before joining me. Peeta set his own spear down, before  
leaving for his house. I raced Gale to the dining room, and we gulped down our  
food hungrily before asking for seconds. My belly protruded slightly after our  
hearty meal, and I settled down beside Gale to watch recaps of previous Games.

**Hey guys, I'm going to change the tense  
of the story to present tense, because that's how I like writing things and I  
always have to go back and change my writing from present to past, and it's  
really annoying. Thanks for understanding.** **:)**


	11. Rivers From My Eyes

**Reminder: I'm writing in present tense now.**

I'm in the woods, hunting beside Gale. I shoot a squirrel in the head, but instead of grabbing it, I turn to Gale. He looks at me with fear in his eyes.  
"You-you're a killer."  
"No, Gale, it was a squirrel."  
"But you're going to kill me."  
"No, of course not!" But my hands don't obey my brain, and I raise the bow, notch an arrow, and point it at his heart.  
"Katniss, you're going to kill me."  
"NO! GALE!" My fingers release the arrow, and it plunges into his body.  
I wake up screaming, still trying to get the bow out of my hands.  
"Catnip? Are you awake?"  
"Y-yeah. Nightmare. No big deal." He looks at me skeptically.  
"No big deal? You were screaming and thrashing for a while now, you wouldn't wake up."  
"Gale, I killed you. I'm my nightmare."  
"It's okay, it's just a nightmare. I'm still here." As if he wants to prove his point, he pulls me close to him and kisses my forehead.  
"Gale, what time is it?"  
"It's almost 7:30. You should get up." I nod, and he leaves the room. My life follows a monotonous, colourless schedule now. Gale comes to wake me up in the morning, we have breakfast, then we run. We can almost sprint the entire way now, it only takes us 20 min. or so. Then, we do sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups, and weight lifting until lunch. We eat a few bites, then spend the rest of the afternoon working with weapons. I've gotten a lot better with spears, I'm bad with close combat but I can throw them fairly accurately. My shooting is sharper than ever, and my knife throwing skills are almost as good as Gale's. Gale can easily hit flying objects with a knife, and he can shoot very well with a bow. He's a lot better with the spear than I am, and we're about equal with swords. Peeta's brother sometimes helps us with hand to hand combat, and even though he was reluctant to fight me at first, now we're about equally matched. We spend our spare time climbing trees, and becoming more agile. Then we have dinner, we watch a recap and note skills that existing victors have.  
I get changed quickly, and prepare for the last day of training before we are Reaped. There's some frost on my window, so I pull on a jacket and head downstairs. I'm surprised to find Haymitch and Peeta sitting in our kitchen, talking to Gale.  
"Guess what, Catnip? We get a day off."  
"After we talk about strategy," Peeta informs me. That sounds good.

"It's about time too. We've been training nonstop for forever."

My muscles used to hurt after training, but not anymore. I can run faster, for longer, I can climb the tallest trees; I'm stronger than I've ever been. Haymitch interrupts my thoughts.

"So, strategies. I know both of you will try to keep the other alive, so I'm not even going to try and persuade you. We want sponsors. Last year, it was all because of the star-crossed lover, and we can't exactly try that angle again. So think."

"Best friends." My mouth starts talking before I realize it.

"Best friends since childhood, being sent into the arena. One is in love with the other, but has been too afraid to tell her until they are both being sent to their deaths. The Capitol people will love it." Gale nods approvingly. Peeta thinks about it, looking slightly uncomfortable, and Haymitch smirks, before asking

"And where did you get that idea?" I blush slightly, and glare at him half-heartedly. He is still smirking, so I sigh and ask

"So can we leave now?" I motion towards Gale and I. Peeta nods a bit too quickly, and before I can wonder what that's about, Gale picks me up and throws e over his shoulder and runs out the door. I can hear Haymitch laughing at us loudly. He puts me down once we're outside, and grabs my hand, leading me towards the fence. We spend the day looking at clouds and picking at the grass, enjoying the silence when Gale decides we should head back. We're halfway to my house when the rain starts, and we dash inside, dripping wet.

"Looks like I'm staying here for the night," he declares. My mom rolls her eyes, and says that he can have the guest room. We have some warm stew and march upstairs. He heads to his room, probably wanting some rest before tomorrow comes. I put my head on the pillow and close my eyes, but I am far from sleeping. It's almost midnight when Gale pokes his head in, scaring the living daylights out of me.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I just can't sleep." I pat the bed, and he wraps his arms around me, pulling me against him. We talk quietly, about anything we can think of except tomorrow. We talk about life before I went to the Games. We talk about what would have happened if we didn't meet that day in the woods, I wonder if I would still be here. I know that Prim wouldn't, she would have starved to death while I was in the Games. We talk about old times, Gale tells me when he first realized he loved me. He said it was on his 17th birthday, when he finally realized it. I tell Gale some stories about my father, and to my surprise, he tells me about his. He tells me how they used to go out into the woods all the time together, how his father taught him how to make snares. He tells me about how he would come home at night and tell stories, no matter how tired he was. I sit quietly, listening to every word he says, until I feel a tear sliding down my neck. Never, in all the years I've known Gale, have I ever seen him cry. Not sure of what to do, I give him a small kiss and wrap my arms around him, but no more tears fall from his eyes. He runs his hands through my hair, and somehow, we end up falling asleep together, still sitting up against the headboard of my bed.

**Sorry it's so short, it seemed to be a good place to break off.**


	12. Finally, me

When I wake up the next morning, Gale is gone. Somehow I was tucked in even though I distinctly remember falling asleep on top of my blanket. Prim rushes in to wake me up, and I'm glad Gale left, or we would be in a very uncomfortable situation right now.

"Katniss! Get dressed! Haymitch wants to see you."

Lazily, I pull myself out of bed and slip on a simple silvery grey dress, and leave my hair down. I hop downstairs and find Gale, my mom, and Prim eating already. I take a seat next to Gale, and he whispers

"Well I would say you look beautiful today, but that would be an understatement." I laugh, and shove a mouthful of eggs into my mouth. I finish off my breakfast, and brush my hair, leaving it down for the reaping. I grab Gale and run over to Haymitch's house, overeager seeing as the Reaping was today.

"Morning sweetheart."

"Hi Haymitch. Where's Peeta?"

"He said he would meet us on the train. Well you, anyways, I still got my doubts about the boy." I was so sure Gale would be picked. What if I was wrong? His training would have gone to waste, but I was still optimistic about his name not being called.

"We'll see. Prim said you wanted to see me?"

"Yeah. Good luck."

"That's it?" He nodded, and waved for us to go away. I was annoyed, but I took the chance to get away from the overwhelming scent of alcohol. Gale and I walked to the Meadow, but decided to stay inside the fence because of all the Peacekeepers. We sat quietly, just thinking, until it was time to head down to the justice building. I stood alone in a roped off section and Gale was directly across from me. Effie pranced onto the stage, lacking her usual verve.

"Welcome, welcome." I zoned out after the first two words. It seemed less and interesting as the years went by. Before I knew it, she walked over the bowl that had a single slip of paper in it. She was having trouble grabbing it, it fluttered away from her hands. Exasperated, I walked up. Effie finally grabbed the slip, and didn't bother reading it before calling out my name and walking to the boys bowl. There was a significant amount of slips in there, but I didn't listen as I already knew who was going to be Reaped.

"Gale Hawthorne." He walked onto the stage, looking slightly amused, and when it came time for us to shake hands, he pulled me into a hug and whispered "Guess you were right." I laughed, and smiled at him before replying "I always am, aren't I?" We were led away onto the train, Gale's hands on my shoulder reassuring me. I was sitting in the room, expecting my mom and Prim to come say goodbye, when a Peacekeeper came in and led me towards the  
train.

"Change of plans." I was shoved onto the train before it pulled away, leaving my goodbyes in my mouth, making it hard to swallow.

Gale came in looking dejected. He pulled me close to him, I knew he was breaking. His entire family was standing at the station, waiting for goodbyes, goodbyes that would never be said. I held in my tears, and we sat quietly, providing silent comfort until Peeta came in and looked slightly embarrassed at us sitting so close.

"Sorry to break the moment, but Haymitch wanted to see you." He looked at me longingly and turned to leave. I pulled Gale towards the bar car, where Haymitch was sitting with a drink in his hands.

"Well Katniss, I think you can tell your friend about most of the procedures we have." I nodded and started telling Gale everything I knew.

"Well, first off, let the stylists do their thing. Cinna and Portia are geniuses in hiding, so trust them. For the interview, Haymitch will help you find an angle to play. You have to make the people want to sponsor you, so even though you may hate their guts, try not to let them know." Gale chuckled and looked at me expectantly. I continued.

"After that, in the training room, don't show off your skills. Everyone knows I'm good with a bow now, but they don't know about you. So learn some things you don't know, look at the plants because they might give you an idea of the terrain in the arena." I was about to continue, when Haymitch cut in.

"Oh, and allies. This year I want you to have allies." I started to protest, but Gale cut in before me.

"Katniss, that's a good idea. We should make some allies because you're the newest Victor, and since the other Victors have known each other for years, you'll be their first target." I wanted to argue, but once Gale sets his mind on something, it's like talking to a turnip. I sigh and nod reluctantly. Haymitch seemed surprised that I agreed with Gale, but he never had to argue with him before. We head down to the dining room, where a hearty dinner is waiting for us.

"Gale, don't eat too many rich foods or you'll throw up," I warned him bluntly. He raised an eyebrow, but avoided the richest foods. Dinner was fairly uneventful, and Gale grabs my hand and leads me to my room.

"Can you stay with me? You help with my nightmares a lot."

"Sure thing, Catnip." We got ready for bed, and he pulled the covers over our intertwined bodies.

"It's time to get up Katniss." Peeta's voice is slightly muffled through the door. I groan, and I guess he takes that as an invitation to come in. His eyes widen slightly when Gale sits up beside me, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Oh- Sorry," he stammered. His face is slightly tinged red, and there's a hint of hurt in his eyes. Does he still love me? Even after everything I did that hurt him? The rest of the day passes slightly uncomfortably, with Peeta looking away every time he caught my eyes. Finally, the train pulls up at the station. Masses of colourful people crowd around the train, trying to grab a glimpse of us. I drag Gale over to the window.

"Smile and wave. We need sponsors," I hissed, trying not to move my mouth which is currently in a huge and sincere (yeah, right) smile. I look out of the corner of my eye, and I see Gale flashing a cocky smirk, but his eyes are sharp, as if we were about to be attacked any second. The train finally pulls to a stop, and he helps me out of the car, his hand on mine just a bit too long. It's starting to get suspicious, so I hiss

"What are you doing? We've got to hide it."

"It's part of my angle. I'll tell you tonight." I still don't trust his idea, but I let his hand linger on mine, until Peeta hops out and kisses me lightly. We're led through the massive crowd, and we arrive at the remake centre in one piece. Cina greets me warmly, though his eyes portray sadness.

"I had hoped to see you again, but not like this," he states sadly. I smile at him, and the prep team comes in and they scrub off layers of skin, wax my legs, and pluck my eyebrows. Minimal makeup is applied, when Cinna is called in. He works on my face first. When he finishes, I gasp at my reflection. I am no longer the pretty young girl from last year. I am smouldering, I am dangerous. My cheekbones are heavily highlighted, my eyes are dramatically smoky. There is a dark purplish-red lipstick on my lips, finishing the look.

"Cinna, I've never doubted you, but don't you think this is a bit too much makeup?"

"Katniss, it will match your costume perfectly." He pulls a simple black outfit out. It's skin tight, and hugs my minimal curves. I also pull on a pair of elegant black boots. I'm thinking that this was a bit…boring, when he pushes a button under my wrist. My entire suit glows. I am no longer fire, I am an ember. The glow highlights my face even more, making me look like some goddess of fire. I gasp, and smile broadly.

"Cinna! This is perfect, thank you, thank you so so much!" I pull him into a tight hug, and he lightly laughs before guiding me towards the chariots.

"I'll see you tonight, girl on fire." I smile at him, and I head towards our chariot. Gale is already sitting on it, and his eyes go wide at my appearance.

"You look…so dangerous. This is more like the Katniss I know, not that girl in the frilly dresses from last year." I smile, before he gets up and declares that it's never too early to find some allies. I agree, and I wander aimlessly around the chariots, looking at Gale who already has a couple girls swooning over him. With his humour, his charms, and his good looks, I'm not really surprised. When I turn around, I bump into someone. Finnick Odair. He looks at me with his eyes that are greener than emeralds. He may just be the best looking man I have ever seen in my life. Tanned skin, tall muscular build, bronze hair, and a dazzling smile.

"Can I help you?" I ask, my voice stronger than I anticipated.

"What happened to your pink dresses? You're terrifying me in this getup."

"I grew out of them," I shrugged.

"I see. Well, you're outfit looks quite plain this year." I press the button on my wrist, and my body gives off an eerie glow. He chuckles, and says

"I probably should have expected that. Your stylist did a good job with it."

"Your stylist did good on your costume too. Or maybe I should say your lack of it." And it's true. He was only wearing a gold fishing net, strategically knotted at the groin. His stylist probably thought it would be best to show off as much of his body as possible. He leaned in towards me, and his eyes drooped seductively.

"You like my…lack of costume, huh?" I laughed, even though normally I would blush.

"You wish, Odair." And with that, I turned and left, bumping into Gale.

"What was that about?" I droop my eyes, mimicking Finnick.

"Well, Finnick was talking about his costume. Or lack of." Gale laughed, and pulled my towards the chariot. We hopped in, and watched as the others left. Sparkly people from one, wire covered tributes from two, and fishermen from four. Trees from 7, cows with flaming belts from 10. Farmers from 11, then our chariot lurched forwards. As we were about to leave, I heard Cinna call out.

"Keep your heads up, and act very above it all. No smiling, no waving. Hold hands."

Gale grabbed my and with his, and we were in the City Circle. I caught a glimpse of us in the mirrors. We looked stoic, unforgiving. Finally, I could be myself. Gale also seemed pleased that we didn't have to wave, or obsess over anything. We pulled to a stop, and when the cheering finally died down, Snow started speaking. I ignored him completely, trying to calm my breathing, and taking in Gale's presence beside me. Before I knew it, our chariots were moving again, and we hopped off at the Remake center, heading into the elevator.

**As always, review are appreciated!**


	13. All Partnered Up

We eat dinner, and everyone gushes about Cinna's design, He waves it off, looking tired. We have some fruit for dessert, and for the rest of the evening and we watch the Reapings. I tuck my legs under my body, and lean against Gale. He wraps an arm around me almost instinctively, and I'm about to pull away to keep our relationship a secret, but there's nothing anyone can do anymore. One of us is going to die, so we might as well take our last moments as they're handed to us. I wish I could say that Gale would be the one coming out, but I know he has his heart set on protecting me, and there's nothing I can do to change his mind. A few people work their way into my mind from the replay of the Reaping. A deadly looking girl named Leiga from 1, a sly looking woman from 3 called Mia, Finnick Odair, sex symbol of Panem, not just the Capitol, from 4. A particularly deadly looking male from 7, called Jackson. A boy named Jonah, who looks cocky and arrogant from 10, and a very, very big man from 11, whose name is Drew, if I remember correctly. After watching the other tributes, I still have no idea who I would want for an ally. I spend the night with Gale, he wraps his arms around me and we fall asleep.

I open my eyes when I feel my bed shift. Gale's getting up, and he heads towards my washroom. The door closes and I hear the shower turn on. I must have fallen asleep again, because I open my eyes for the second time, and Gale's gently shaking me. He grins wickedly when he sees my eyes open. He shakes his wet hair wildly, making droplets of water splash all over my face.

"Are you up now?" I mumble quietly under my breath and he's about to shake his hair again, when I grab his wrist and yank it out from under him. I probably wouldn't have won in a real fight, but he was off guard. I roll on top of him, and laugh at his stunned face.

"Haha." I flick his nose and get up to shower, when he grabs my wrist and kisses me lightly before letting me go. He turns and leaves the room. I hop into the shower and choose a soap that smells like the forest, and dry my hair. Today's the first day of training, and when I emerge into my room, an outfit is already laid out for me. A black and red t-shirt, and black pants with a pair of runners. I pull them on quickly and braid my hair in its usual style before heading out for breakfast. I grab a roll, a mug of hot chocolate, and an apple to eat. Simple, but I won't throw up while I'm training. I gulp it down, and Effie takes Gale and I down. I am not impressed. Many of the Victors didn't bother to show up, and those who did are wandering aimlessly. The other tributes aren't working very hard either, most of them are sitting around quietly or walking aimlessly. I spot Atala, the head trainer, and she gives me the thumbs up to start training. I immediately pull Gale over to the archery station. He grabs a bow, and pulls back.

"This doesn't feel the same…" he comments. I shrug, and shoot a bulls eye. Gale moves to another target and starts getting used to the bow, and I pound arrows into the targets. The trainer senses that this is too easy for me, and she starts throwing fake birds. I take delight in shooting them down, and she increases the difficulty until there are 3 or 4 birds in the air at once. I don't miss a single one. When the last bird falls to the ground with an arrow in its neck, I lower my bow. The room has gone silent, and everyone watches me with an amazed look on their faces. Gale must have sensed my uncomfortable feeling, because he laughs and grabs two apples from the lunch area. He puts one on his hand, and motions towards it. I smile, and pull the string, and an arrow flies mercilessly into the apple, impaling it on the wall behind him. He takes the other one and balances it carefully on his head. I can't shoot that! What if I miss?

"Katniss, shoot," someone calls. I never miss. I aim carefully, and the apple is pinned to the wall a second later. Gale starts clapping, and soon everyone joins in. I rub the back of my neck uncomfortably, and put the bow down. Pick up a few knives, and hit the targets a few times before I decide to work on climbing until lunch. Gale waves me over to his table, and he asks me

"So who do you have in mind for an ally?" I ponder that for a while, before deciding I want Finnick. Even though he's cocky and arrogant, something about him makes me trust him. I voice my thoughts to Gale, and even though he seems surprised, he nods.

I want the girl from 3, Mia. She's really smart, and she's good with a spear. I also want the boy from 11. He looks scary, but he's got a heart of gold." I nod, and we get up and make our way to Finnick. I pull him aside, and before I can say anything, he sticks out a hand.

"Allies?"

"I was about to ask the same to you." He grins, and shakes mine and Gale's hand firmly before strutting off. Gale hops over to the man from 11, and he nods and they shake hands.

"Now for the girl from 3. She seems elusive, so I don't know if it'll be easy to convince her we can help her," Gale whispers. I nod, and we walk over to the table that she's currently sharing with Beetee. We pull her aside, before telling her our proposal. She thinks for a while, before opening her mouth to speak.

"I guess you guys are pretty good with a bow and knives. I'll agree, on one condition. We break up at the final 8. No matter what happens, even if I'm half dead, even if you guys are half dead, we break up. Got that? And if I'm mortally wounded, you guys kill me when I ask you to." Gale looks surprised at her conditions, but nods anyways. We spend the rest of the day working on various survival skills, before hopping on the elevator. Haymitch motions for us to sit down on the couch.

"Lets talk."

**Yay! Two chapters in one day! Review please! Sorry that these chapters are mostly fillers, I felt like these days needed to be mentioned. **


	14. The Weakest Link

We grab a seat beside Haymitch.

"Any allies in mind?"

Gale answers before I can.

"We've already got Finnick, Drew from 11 and Mia from 3."

"So you decided it would be smart to choose allies without asking me," Haymitch stated in a blunt voice. Oops. I haven't even thought about the fact that we should probably run it by him.

"Well it's too late now. Just tomorrow, ask me before you ask them, got that sweetheart?" I nod, thinking he probably won't let us off so easy if we chose some more undesirable allies.

"Training?"

"Well we worked with knives, I worked on some snares, did some climing, and I did the edible plants test a few times."

"What about you, kid?" Gale looks displeased at his new name. Kid. Peculiar.

"Well I worked with the spears, I did the edible plants station too and I practised climbing as well."

"Good. Tomorrow, I want you two to stick together for the most part, got that?" Before either of us answers, he stands us and staggers towards the exit, leaving us alone. We sit in a comfortable silence until it's time for dinner, where we gorge ourselves on rolls, lamb stew, steamed vegetables, and a chocolate cake. After we're excused from the table, I pull Gale up to the roof, thinking we could get some fresh air. We sit down by the ledge, and Gale tosses a rock at the force field that bounces back, landing in his hand. I laugh as he shows off his 'skills' a couple more times, then he sits down and pulls me onto his lap. I squeal, and he pokes my stomach and sides a few times, until I'm laughing and gasping for air.

"Gale! Stop!"

"That could sound really dirty, Catnip." I blush furiously. Satisfied, he smiles and runs his hands through my hair while we sit quietly on the rooftop. I must have fallen asleep, because when I open my eyes, I'm curled up beside Gale in my bed, with the sun streaming in through the window.

"Up up up! It's a big, big, big day!" Effie's voice drifts into my bedroom, and I fight the urge to hide under my pillow and go back to sleep. Instead, I clamber into the shower, and wash my sleepiness away. By the time I'm dressed and ready for breakfast, Gale's already sitting at the table, chewing on a sweet pastry and listening to Peeta talk about strategy. I'm too tired to care, so I grab a stuffed roll and chew while leaning on Gales shoulder with my eyes closed.

"Tired, Catnip?" he teases. I smack him, effectively shutting him up. We eat our breakfast silently, until Effie pushes us towards the elevator, saying were going to be late if we don't go now. Well, we enter the room to find that no one else has showed up yet. We get a head start, going to the sessions that are usually full, like hand to hand combat or swords. By the time there is a lot of people by our station, Gale and I decide to go to the camouflage station. He engulfs himself in his work, while I paint my arm and decide to chit chat with some other Victors, hopefully make some friends to I'm not first on the kill list. A man comes up and introduces himself to me as Beetee, and I reach to shake his hand before pulling it back, not wanting to get paint all over his hands. We both immerse ourselves in painting when he suddenly says

"There's a force field." He points up the Gamemakers, and no matter how hard I ook, I cant seem to find anything.

"I don't see anything…" I trail off.

"Look, on the bottom corner, there's a small patch that's wavering." I look very carefully, and sure enough, I see the tiny square of seemingly nothing that slightly disorients the objects behind it.

"If you want to break through or disable the field, you would have to break through from right there, that's the weakest link in the forcefield." I nod, reminiscing about when I shot that arrow, which is probably what prompted them to put it up in the first place. We fall into a comfortable silence before Gale suggests we head over to work on the climbing some more. There's a girl there from District 5. She hasn't shown any skill with weapons, but she can climb even better than I can, and she probably knows every healing herb in the world. She would make a good ally. I have to restrain myself from asking her, thinking I should probably talk with Haymitch first. The rest of the day zooms by, with Johanna Mason blatantly stripping down to wrestle when Gale and I were at that station, and Jonah cutting the arm of one of the trainers. On purpose. Gale and I head up to the twelfth floor, and I am pleasantly surprised to see that Haymitch isn't drunk.

"I want Maya from 5 and Beetee from 3 as allies." I don't see the need to make pleasantries with Haymitch. He guffaws at me, and Gale studies me to see if I'm serious. When he realizes I am, he nods to agree with me, only making Haymitch laugh harder.

"Sorry sweetheart, no can do. End of discussion. They will only drag you down."

"But Maya can heal! What if one of us gets hurt?"

"Then don't." There was no arguing now, because Haymitch takes a long swig from his liquor filled flask. Frustrated, I shove food down my throat during dinner and storm up to my room. Gale follows me, and instead of talking to me to make me feel better, he kisses me. I kiss him too, needing to get my frustration out of my system. He gently bites my lip, and I gladly give him entrance. He pushes me against the wall, and pins my hands above my head. I give myself to him completely. He trails his lips down my jaw line, eliciting a small moan. He reaches out to lock the door, and pick me up and places me on the bed, kissing me the entire time. He trails his hands up my waist and lower back, until they reach my shoulder blades. I pull off my shirt, and tug on his until he lifts it up over his head. He resumes kissing me, and he moves his lips down my body until they are at the waistline of my pants. He pulls them off, and I remove his own. He pulls off my bra, and gently massages one of my breasts while kissing me. I run my hand down his defined torso and strong arms. I reach the waistband of his briefs and I don't hesitate to rip them off. He pulls off my underwear, and kisses me lightly. I start stroking him, and he moans in pleasure. I can feel him getting hard under me, and he pulls my hands away and pins them to the bad above my head. He starts rubbing me, and I arch my hips towards his touch. He chuckles lightly and inserts a finger in me, while kissing me and gently biting my lip. I can feel the pressure building inside of me, and I moan his name while my back lifts off the bed in pure ecstasy. I collapse, but I find the energy to roll myself on top of him. I raise my hips, before settling on his length, and I don't stop until I feel his hips connect with mine. He places his hands on my waist as I move on top of him, setting the pace. His breathing is becoming ragged when he flips me onto my back never breaking our rhythm and pushes himself inside of me. I clamp my legs around him as I feel myself climaxing. A second after I finish, he releases, and falls to the bed beside me, pulling me close to him. Our breaths mingle, and our breathing slows down after a few minutes.

"Katniss, they've changed the private sessions to tomorrow morning at 10."

"What? Why"

"I not sure, Effie told me today after you left at dinner."

"Oh. What are you planning to do?"

"Some knife throwing, snares, maybe throw a spear a few times, and shoot some arrows. You?"

"Knife at a short distance, climb, edible plants, and shooting of course. I'll try not to shoot at them this time." Gale laughs, and pulls me impossibly closer to him, and runs his hands through my hair. I feel myself drifting off, and the last thing I hear before I fall asleep is "I love you."


	15. One More Night

When I wake up the next morning, Gale is already gone. I shower quickly, pull on my training outfit, and grab an apple and a sweet pastry to eat for breakfast. I also drain a cup of orange juice. I head towards the elevator where Gale is already waiting for me. We silently head down the training center, and we wait patiently until Gale stands up to go.

"Good luck."

"Thanks Catnip." The door slides closed behind him. I twiddle my thumbs, waiting anxiously for my turn. Finally, Gale comes out of the room. I head in, but not before he grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze. The doors slide closed behind me, and I immediately pick up the bow and arrows. I shoot the dummies a few times, before I sever the rope that is currently hanging a dummy, hit one of the lights on the opposite side of the room, and toss up a leftover apple, and pierce it through the middle. The Gamemakers applauded. I go over the knife station and throw a few at the dummies, before I take the edible plants test at lightning speed and climb across the agility course. The Gamemakers clap, and they dismiss me. Quite pleased with my performance, I head upstairs with a grin on my face.

"I take it you had a good session, Catnip?"

"Yeah. They were actually paying attention this time." He laughs and starts to say something when Effie and Haymitch walk in.

"Private sessions. They squished it all together because they figured that the Victors wouldn't need to be coached again. Now, seeing as I'm tired and the kid here seems to have a good persona, Effie will coach him on manners then you two are free for the rest of the day." Gale seems quite relieved that he doesn't have to spend hours alone with Haymitch, and heads off with Effie to be instructed on his 'unacceptable posture'.

"Hi Katniss." I quickly turn around to see Peeta's blue eyes staring back at me.

"Hi Peeta, how are you?"

"I'm fine, I was wondering if you wanted some company? You know, while Gale's with Effie." I realized that ever since we started training for the Quell, I haven't talked with Peeta much.

"Sure, sorry I've been so busy lately."

"You've been training to save your life; I think that's more important than just talking to me." He laughed, and we headed up to the roof.

"So, what's up with you and Gale?" I realized this is probably why were up here, no one can hear us and Peeta's probably been dying to know.

"Umm… well I lo- I really like him." I decide to skip over the L bomb because I don't know how Peeta will feel about that.

"Give it up, Katniss. You love him, and I know he loves you too." His eyes are so sad and pained, it breaks my heart. Even though I don't love him, I do care for him, like a brother.

"I- yeah. I do love him."

"That's okay. I just wanted to warn you, be careful in the Quell. Don't show it. It might sound cruel, but we…" His voice breaks, and I want to comfort him so badly, but with everything that's going on I'm afraid it might lead him on. He clears his throat, and continues.

"We're still supposed to be together." He tries to keep his voice void of emotion, but it doesn't work.

"I'm sorry Peeta," I whisper. He shakes his head, and gives me a sad smile before heading downstairs. I head down soon after him, and almost run into Haymitch.

"I've got an angle for the kid sweetheart, I can't tell you right now but remember, when you're on camera, you still love Peeta." The shock that Haymitch knew about Gale and I must have registered on my face, because he just laughs, and declares that anyone with eyes can tell how we feel about each other. He tells me to be careful and tone it down in the Quell, and I can't blame him. The rest of the afternoon is spent talking with Gale, eating lunch, and being dolled up for interviews. When I'm finally released from my makeup filled prison, I take a seat beside Gale and focus on the other tributes. What happens is probably the strangest thing in Hunger Games history.

From District 1, the tributes Liega and Gloss talk about how unfair it is that the young children who truly want this chance can't have it. From Two, the previous Victor, Brutus, talks about how sad it is that he may not get to see the Capitol again. Three states that they both technically shouldn't be here. Finnick from 4 reads a love poem to his one true love, making all the females in the audience swoon and cry over him. From 5, they state how wrong it is for ineligible people to be Reaped. From 6, the few words that the morphlings could get out sounded something like "wrong," and "sinful."From 7, Johanna bluntly states that Snow better be prepared for a bunch of uprisings with this Quell. Cecelia from 8 says goodbye to all her children, knowing that she will never see them again. The tributes from 9 didn't even answer to Ceasar. The arrogant, scary tribute from 10, Jonah, surprises everyone by saying final farewells to his family, blatantly ignoring Ceasar. Drew glares at the camera for his entire interview. By the time it's my turn, the audience is screaming and crying, not wanting to lose their precious Victors. Ceasar finally gets the crowd to a level where I can hear him speaking.

"So Katniss, what do you think of all this?"

"The only thing I can think of is how I'll never be able to see Peeta again." The crowd is hysterical now

"Well, don't say that, there is a chance that you will make it back."

"You've got to be kidding me Ceasar. Against all these people? Look at me. I wouldn't stand a chance against Gloss. He could kill me in the blink of an eye. Or Johanna for that matter. And it's not just the Victors either. Jonah could easily take me down. In fact, I wouldn't even stand a chance against my district partner, Gale. But I've had a wonderful time with Peeta, it's just such a shame that it can't last. I give him my best sad smile, and walk off the stage. They have to bring out a new microphone for Gale, because it's too loud to hear him talking.

"So Gale, what do you think will happen in the arena?"

"Well I'm not sure of most of it, but I know one thing. I will be protecting Katniss with my life."

"Well I guess she doesn't have to worry about beating you, huh?" I can tell that this really sets Gale off, but he keeps cool and laughs it off.

"Yep." The Capitol audience swoons.

"So Gale, any special girl out there for you?"

"Yes actually." He turns to face the audience.

"The one girl I want, is not only taken, but she's about to be sentenced to a possible death." I gape, my mouth wide open. I try not to look happy, or flustered.

"So Gale, I assume you're talking about Katniss?"

"Yes."

"But she's with Peeta."

"Doesn't matter. I will win her heart before I die. That's a promise." Gale's buzzer signals his time is over. I'm still pondering over whether it was a good or bad idea to say that in front of all of Panem, but before I could come up with an answer, Gale grabs my hand and Jonah grabs my other one. I'm about to ask what's happening, when I see everyone with their hands joined together, openly defying the Capitol.

Even though it's dangerous, it sends a thrill through me. I like it.

**Sorry for the late update, my internet was down. Reviews are appreciated, as always!**


	16. Authors note :

Authors note

Im no sorry about the lack of updates, I have a theory exam on Saturday, and I've been too busy to write. I may get a chapter up before Saturday, but after, I'll work overtime to finish a few chapters for you guys. Thanks for understanding.


	17. Let It Begin

When we finally arrive at the twelfth floor, Haymitch practically has steam pouring out from his ears. But curiously, he doesn't say anything. He orders us some dinner, we eat it quietly, then Gale pulls me into my room.

"We have one more night together where we don't have to worry about 22 other people. Lets make the most of it." He smirks, then pulls me towards the bed.

I think it's safe to say we didn't sleep much last night.

Gale must have sneaked off last night, because when Effie barges in to wake me up, I'm alone in my bed. I don't mind though, because otherwise Effie would have shrieked and turned red. Again. I pull on a grey shirt and black pants, before grabbing a bite to eat. I didn't see Gale on the way to the hovercraft, so the next time I see him will be in the Arena. Cinna directs me into the room, where I pull on my clothes. They are mainly black, and they are made out of a light material that seems waterproof. Cinna assures me it wont be too cold in the arena, otherwise all the tributes would freeze if this is all we have to wear. I nod, and he coaxes some water and bread into me before I step onto the platform.

I wait patiently for the platform t start moving up, but it doesn't. Finally, two Peacekeepers come into the room. Good, now they can fix this. But they don't. One of the Peacekeepes holds Cinna by his arms, while the other one repeatedly punches him, in the gut, chest, and the face. Finally, he is taken away. Why? The tears threaten to fall, but even though I'm completely torn apart, I force myself to think about the matter at hand.

Somehow, I keep my face dry as the countdown begins. Looking around, the Cornucopia is on a small island surrounded by water. So they want us to swim. Good, Gale and I can. I wonder if anyone will be suspicious of the fact that we grew up in twelve and we can swim, but I push the thought out of my head. I dive headfirst into the water as soon as the gong chimes out. I see someone approaching me out of the corner of my eye, and he grabs me. I don't hesitate to jab him with my elbow. I spin around, about to attack, when I see Finnick looking at me sheepishly.

"Sorry, I didn't know you could swim." I nod, and he races off to the Cornucopia, moving through the water like a half human half fish. I pull myself onto the island, and Gale's already there, grabbing as many weapons as he can without slowing down. He throws me a silver bow and a sheath of arrows, and Finnick and I rifle through the remaining supplies.

"There's no food!" I cry loudly.

"Nothing over here either. You two go, I'll get Mia and Drew." But he didn't have to, they were already together standing at the direction Finnick pointed, hurrying us with no words. I toss the bow over my back, grab two knives and dive into the water. Gale hauls himself up beside me, he grabs my hand and we race towards the tree line with Finnick on our tails. If I thought he ran fast in the woods, I was horribly wrong. In the open area, I'm practically being dragged behind him. He slows down slightly in the trees, but he keeps a fast steady pace for the next few miles.  
"Gale, I need to stop," Mia cried. I had almost forgotten that Mia, Drew, and Finnick were following us. Sweat was pouring down our backs, even Gale, who's setting the pace, is breathing very heavily.  
"Okay. We'll walk." We walked for a few more miles before we found a very nice place to set up camp. There was a very large tree that wasnt too short, but it wasn't so tall that it was easily distinguishable from afar. Gale, Mia, and I could easily climb up. I wasn't sure about Drew or Finnick though.  
"Can you two climb?"  
"I can probably climb high enough to be hidden if we set up some kind of blind," Finnick replys. Drew nods. Gale grabs some branches, and he starts weaving in smaller leafier ones.  
"I'm going to climb up. See if I can spot some water," I announce. Everyone nods, no one has the energy to say something. I scurry up the tree, and climb as high as I can without falling off. Leaning slightly out of the tree, I look around, but there is no tell tale glistening of water, nor is there a break in the trees. Dejected, I climb back down.  
"Nothing." Gale nods, and asks  
"Do you think this is a jungle? The trees look different than the ones back home."  
"Probably. It looks like the jungle from 4 years ago."

"Why don't you two go hunting, we'll set up camp, finish the blind, and scout around for water."

"That's a good plan," I reply. I test out the bow a couple times, before Gale and I stalk silently into the woods, becoming one and communicating without words. We get a strange rat looking creature and a wildly coloured bird, and some berries that were cleared in the edible plants tese. Gale keeps saying that they're called bloodberries, but I'm pretty sure they're called ghostberries. We argued good naturedly until we arrived at the camp. Looking up into the tree, Mia was weaving some grass mats. She motioned to the left, and called out "Finnick and Drew are over there, they want to make a fire before the sun sets." She goes back to weaving, and I start to head out in the general direction. We reach them soon, and Gale skins the rat creature while I pluck the strange feathers from the strange bird. We dice the meat into small cubes so it will cook quickly, and we roast them over the fire and eat, saving the last few pieces for Mia.

"So, did you find any water?" Finnick inquires.

"No, but the rat's muzzle was wet, so it must be close by. We'll go look again tomorrow." Finnick nods, and he carefully banks the fire before we hea back to our camp. My then, Mia has a small grass bow where we dump the berries, and we snack on them while Mia eats her share of dinner. Our amiable silence is interrupted by a small pining sound, and a parachute floats down in front of us.

No one grabs it, so I reach out and open the small metal container. There's a small device in it, small enough to fit onto your pinky.

"Any guesses to what or who's this is?" A chorus of no's ring out. We pass it around, everyone perring at the strange device.

"Not much use as a weapon…"

"Can't be medicine…"

"Definitely not helpful with food or water.."

"Doesn't it look like the rat's muzzle?" Gale suddenly asks. On a closer look, it does. It's tapered, with metal screws in roughly the same place as the rat's teeth.

"Well if the rat got water, then maybe…" Gale trailed off, grabbing a knife while he stood. He bore a small hole into a nearby tree, and pushed the contraption inside the hole. Then, a few drops of water drip out. More and more comes out until a steady stream is pouring out of the hole.

"It's a spile. My dad used to do the same thing with something similar to this, except he got the sweet tree sap instead of water. He laughed, and sticks his head under the spile, taking a long drink.

We each satisfy our thirst, before cleaning up our camp, and climbing the huge tree and settling in for the night. Finnick offers to take first watch, and Im too tired to object, so I find a branch sturdy enough to support Gale and I before tying us in and leaning my head on his shoulder, settling in for sleep. Well, I had hoped for some sleep, but as soon as my eyes close, horrible images of a bloody and beaten Cinna plague my thoughts, I must have tensed up, because Gale rubs my shoulder soothingly and shushes my calmly. Finally I drift off, but I know better than to expect a good nights sleep.

**Hope you guys enjoy. I'm sorry about any spelling or grammar mistakes, I had to either pst this now or wait until Wednesday, and you guys have waited for long enough so I decided to just stick it up. Please let me know of any mistakes. Reviews are always appreciated!**


	18. To Trust, Or Not To Trust?

"Katniss. It's your turn for the shift," Finnick whispers.

"Mmkay. I'm up." I stretch my legs, and see that the moon is getting low in the sky. To wake me up, I decide to climb down, and back up again. By the time I'm settled comfortably on a branch, the horizon has the slightest tinge of pink to it. I notch an arrow into my bow, and listen for any approaching footsteps. Nothing comes near our tree. I almost fall out when a hand places itself over my shoulder.

"Gale! You scared me!" I half whispered, half growled.

"Sorry." He smiles sheepishly and kisses me on the top of my head, before pulling me onto his lap. I was hoping for a better kiss, but I was afraid I would look like I'm enjoying myself a bit too much, which would raise some suspicion in the capitol. So instead, I try hard to keep the grin off my face as I scan the area for people and animals.

When Finnick, Drew, and Mia have woken up, we split up the work we have to do. Gale goes out to check his snares, and I look around for some berries or nuts with Mia. Finnick and Drew went to build a fire further away from our camp for safety. Once we've filled our stomachs, we pack up our weapons and supplies before moving on. The rest of the day is spent travelling, and oddly, we don't run into anyone, but we do hear 3 cannons.

"Let's settle down here for tonight," Gale announces. He climbs under the branches of a huge pine tree, and by sitting on the very bottom ones, we would all be concealed in the shadows.

"Sure. I'll go hunting." Finnick grabs his spear.

"I want to go too," he says.

"Can you hunt with that thing?" I motion towards his spear. He places a hand over his heart and pretends to be offended.

"Of course I can! How dare you insult my beautiful spear!" My eyes roll on their own accord.

"Fine. Let's go." We stalk through the undergrowth, and by the time we return, I've shot two rabbits and a bird of some kind, and surprisingly, Finnick speared a rat thing. Not bad for someone's first time hunting, and with a spear. I don't even kknow whay the rat was stupid enough to get so close to him. Right before we get back to camp, he pulls me to the side.

"Katniss, I need you to trust me tomorrow okay? No matter what happens, I need you to trust me." I must have a confused look on my face, because he whispers to me again.

"Just…do it okay? I know it might sound suspicious, but it won't work unless you trust me." What won't work? I nod, deciding that that may be the smartest thing to do if I want to know what's happening tomorrow.

"What's happening tomorrow?" I whisper. But he only shakes his head, and walks back to our camp, where we gobble down dinner. We settle in for the night. Gale takes my hand, and soothingly strokes it with his own. The anthem plays, and the boy from 1 the girl from 4 and the boy from 5 died. A career died on the first day? Unusual… Maybe they don't have a career pack this year. Gale voices my thoughts.

"Maybe there's no career pack this year," he pipes up.

"I doubt it; I think it was already formed during training."

"But the fact that the boy, well man I guess, from 1 was a victor… I think they would have survived the first day at least," Drew says.

"Same here," I say. Mia nods, and Gale kisses my forehead lightly. He wraps an arm around me. The nights have been surprisingly warm, so we've had no need for anything other than the thin, lightweight material we came in. I fall asleep quickly, feeling safe beside Gale even though we are in the middle of a Hunger Games arena.

I take my shift in the middle of the night. Its dark, and it's hard to make out anything in the thick of the trees. Suddenly, an orange monkey pops its head out from a tree. Then another. They both stare at me, not moving. A few more show up. The numbers keep increasing, until the trees beside us have turned orange. I shake Gale lightly.

"Gale. Ssshh, don't move. You see those monkeys? I need you to wake everyone up very slowly, and grab your weapons." He looks to the trees and nods, and gently and quietly shakes Drew and Mia awake, while I wake Finnick and hand him his spear.

"Okay, very slowly, make your way out of the tree, and then follow me," I order. They comply, and we're almost out of the trees, when someone steps on a stupid stick. Almost as if someone pressed a start button, they launch off the trees and head dive towards us. Immediately, I shoot one and stab another with my knife. I whack one off Mia with my bow, and stab another flying at Drew.

"Guys! Get out in the open!" I yell. They comply, and we fight while stumbling towards the lake surrounding the cornucopia. But as soon as we break from the trees, the monkeys leave. They seem to disappear into thin air. Frowning, I move a little closer to investigate, but Gale grabs me from my waist.

"Don't. Wait, see if they come back." So we stood there waiting for a few minutes, until I feel his grip on me loosen. I walk forwards cautiously, and grab my bloody arrows from their dead bodies. By now, the sun has started to rise.

"We need to go to the cornucopia," Finnick says. I'm about to ask him why, but I remembered what he said when we were hunting yesterday. I looked at him cautiously, and he seemed to be pleading my to follow him with his eyes.

"I'll go if Katniss thinks it's a good idea," Gale says.

"I'll go if Gale goes," Drew announces. Mia nods. I think I've only heard her talk once or twice.

"I'll go." Even if Finnick is planning something, we outnumber him. Plus, I like to think that he wouldn't turn on us. With our mind made up, we march towards the cornucopia, which is about an hour's walk away. But when we get there, there are already two people standing at the mouth.

**Kind of short. Also, I apologize for the late update. I also noticed that I forgot to write about the cannons from the bloodbath last chapter…oops. Just so you know, 11 people died, so there is a girl from 1, both from2, Mia and Beetee from 3, Finnick, Johanna, Drew, and Gale and Katniss left. Review please!**


	19. Breaking Away

"Shh, there are two people there."

"Why are they just standing?" Drew whispers, while stepping forwards slightly to get a better look. He kicks a few rocks forwards, and the two figures standing by the mouth whip their heads towards us. Johanna and the girl from 1, whose name starts with an L... I think. In a moment of quick thinking, Finnick yells, "Attack them! They already saw us!" But he didn't see the two figures deeper inside the Cornucopia.

"Finnikc! There are two others in there!" He turned and looked at me, just as a knife whizzed by his head, narrowly missing it. The two shadowy figures ran out into the sunlight, identifying themselves as Lynksy, the girl from 2 who threw the knife, and someone from 8, whose name I can't remember. I notch an arrow into my bow and let it fly, aiming towards Johanna. She ducks, and I string up another arrow, but she is too close and she slams into me. She pulls out a knife, and digs it into my arm. I try to scream, but she clamps my jaw shut tightly. Then, she lets go, and runs back to the fight. I lay there, dazed and confused, cold from the blood loss. I vaguely hear screaming, and the clash of weapons, before my tired eyes droop shut and I fall into a silent, dark world of dreams.

"Catnip, wake up." I open my eyes, but screw them shut because of the light. I fall back into the land of dreams.

The next time i wake up, its darker.

"Gale?" A shape moves next to me.

"Katniss, you're up. Let me get Gale for you." Finnick walks off. A second later, Gale flies into my sight.

"Catnip, thank god you're okay!" He kisses me lightly. I realize how much I miss his kiss.

"Gale, where are we?"

"Shh, let me explain."He pulls my head onto his lap, and runs his hands through my hair.

"There was a plan to get us out of the arena. I didn't know about it, but Drew, Mia, and Finnick did. Johanna was also part of it." I start to tell him about how she almost killed me, but he keeps talking.

"The Head Gamemaker, who was also part of our plan, had a small electronic map placed into Finnick's shoe . Johanna and Finnick were going to split up, Finnick would be with us and Johanna would get in with the Careers, to keep them away from us. They agreed to meet at the cornucopia. When we got there, Drew, Finnick and Johanna were responsible for cutting out our trackers. You passed out from the blood loss. A hovercraft from district thirteen broke through the forcefield, and we escaped." My mind was reeling with questions.

"District 13?"

"Yes. The capitol has been telling everyone they were wiped out a long time ago, but they are currently living underground."

"Why did they break us out?" Gale purses his lips.

"There's a rebellion. And they want you to be the symbol for it."

"What!?"

"Shh, you don't have to worry about it yet. The hovercraft was easily overpowered by the Capitol, but it produced a distraction for us to get out. We are currently somewhere in the forest, and we're making the trek to thirteen."

"Who else got out?"

"Finnick, Johanna, Drew, you and me. Mia died in the fight." I close my eyes and try to process the load of info I just got.

"So, we're on a giant hiking trip with no supplies?"

"We have supplies. Warm clothing, sleeping bags, a tent, a few boxes of matches, some emergency food, waterbottles, a first aid kit, and iodine, all courtesy of thirteen. They placed it earlier, and marked it on Finnick's map."

"I told you already, it's not a map. It's a GPS, Gale," Finnick corrects him as he crawls into the tent, which was surprisingly roomy.

"Here take a look." He turns on the small square device.

"This red dot is our destination. The yellow is where we are now. The blue shaded places are water sources. The black dots are safehouses, but they are few and far between." He presses a small button in the corner.

"This is the terrain. Green is forest, which covers most of the trip. There is a small expanse of a rocky beach, and some barren hills too. We won't be going in a straight line because of food and water needs, so the trip will take roughly 3 months if we travel around 20 miles a day, we'll get there before it gets too cold. The tent can keep us warm to about -15 degrees." 20 miles a day?

"We'll start with less because we're all injured, and you and Gale can hunt either on the trip or in the evenings and mornings."I take in a deep breath, just as Johanna enters the tent.

"Thanks, by the way, for cutting my arm open." She smirks at me.

"No problem, brainless." She crawls into her sleeping bag, and so does Finnick.

"You should get some rest too," Gale whispers in my ear, and kisses me gently. I seem to be in some kind of sleeping bag already, so I close my eyes and rest for the long journey ahead.

**Sorry it's so late and not very long. I'm thinking about ending it here and just writing an epilogue, because I'm really not feeling up to writing much about Mockingjay, which is my least favourite book. Peeta will also need his own happy ending, so I might also do a separate point of view for him... So there will be at least one more update, keep an eye out for it, and please review!**


	20. Epilogue

**So this is it, the last chapter. I'm really sorry if I disappointed any of you guys, but I'm really not interested in writing a fanfic about Mockingjay. So I have three one shots for you guys in this chapter. The first is the fall of the capitol, the second is Gale and Katniss' happy ending, and the third is about Peeta. Thank you guys so much for coming along with me on this journey, I know it's not my best work, but I hope you enjoyed none-the-less. So without further adieu, I present, the final chapter of Whoever She Needs. **

**Fall of the Capitol**

I crept along the wall, keeping out of sight with Gale on my left, and Peeta in front of me. We got into position, and I notched an explosive arrow into my bow, awaiting the signal from Paylor.

"Katniss, all clear," her voice buzzed from my earpiece. I motioned for Gale to watch my back as I aimed for the west wall of Snow's mansion. As soon as the arrow touched down, snipers started shooting our way. We ducked down, and slowly moved forwards, as the automatic fire gradually stopped. We joined the rest of Paylor's troops as we infiltrated Snow's mansion. We found him in the basement, and he smiled coldly at us.

"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in." I was confused at his nonchalance, even though he was surrounded.

"There's a force field," Gale whispered in my ear. I nodded slightly, and discreetly looked for the small wavering patch of air.

"You won't find it," Snow's cold voice declared, "that little problem was fixed when we found out how you escaped the arena." I cursed quietly, not believing my luck.

"Language, language, my dear." I noticed that his stench of roses and blood was even stronger now. He coughed violently, and a small trickle of blood escaped his puffy lips.

"So this is what we're down to now? We sacrificed so much, to find you being a coward, and hiding behind something, as you've always done, because you're too scared to face us on?" Peeta yelled. A maniacal laugh escaped Snow's lips, but he must have choked on the blood in his mouth, and he doubled over in a coughing fit. I noticed small details I would never have saw before as he died, the way his perfectly tailored suits were now too loose, the pale sickliness of his skin, the almost nonexistent light fading from his eyes as the poison used to kill others and prove himself innocent finally caught up to him. I waved everyone out of the room.

"Snow, I don't know why you even decided to fight this battle. You may have drone like Peacekeepers, you may have high tech weapons and a cruel, sadistic mind, but we have willpower. The willpower that came from having your children forced to fight to the death for 75 years. Your never would have won." And with that, I left his lifeless body to start my life anew, in a world free of Snow.

**Katniss and Gale**

"Gale! Over here!" He approached me quickly.

"Here, this lock was tampered with." He nodded, and scanned it quickly. We continued to search for evidence of the break in, but other than a few fingerprints, nothing was misplaced. I sighed.

"Come on, let's go home," Gale called out to me. I nodded.

"Johanna, do you want to come over for dinner tonight?"

"Sure, what time?"

"6, and bring Finnick and Annie too." She flashed me a thumbs up, as Gale and I got in his car and drove home. I sighed, thinking about how much my life has changed. We spent 3 months in the wilderness, and arrived at thirteen before winter set in. We spent almost a year transporting people from districts, and planning the attack of the Capitol. We finally brought it down after almost 7 months of fighting. After, the government decided there would be no president, only a council made of 24 people. A male and female from each district, to prevent power hungry people from rising to power. I wanted Gale to be a representative, and he spent two years in office, with me. I was missing being outdoors, so I stepped down and Gale followed quickly. We got married, and decided to join one of Paylor's teams. Our squad, made of Gale, Johanna, a man named Joshua, and myself, focused on and Pro-Capitol people undercover. We also investigated dangerous break-in.

"Katniss?"

"Hmm?" Gale laughed.

"I said, would you ever want kids now?" The question stunned me a little. I thought about it. Before, the Hunger Games discouraged me. When we were in office, we were hardly home, and didn't want our kids to grow up in that kind of environment. The first two years of joining Paylor's squad involved a lot of fighting, and open fire, and I decided that I didn't want the possibility of our kids growing up with only one parent. But now, the job has gotten much safer, there's less dangerous action and more investigating. The car slowly lurched to a stop.

"Yes." Gale looked at me, confused.

"I definitely want kids now. Especially if it's with you." His face was shining with happiness , and he picked me up and spun me around, and kissed me passionately.

"Thank you Katniss. Oh my god, thank you so much." He kissed me again, but we were cut off by the arrival of Johanna, Finnick and Annie.

"Keep your lips to yourself, brainless," Johanna teased. I laughed as I led them inside. There was a letter on my doorstep.

_Katniss, _

_If you're not busy this weekend, how about you and Gale take a break from the Capitol and come visit Marie and I back here in Twelve? Prim and Rory are coming in from 4, so is Gale's family. It would be great if you two could make it. You know where to find me. _

_Peeta. _

**Peeta**

"Peeta?"

"In here, Marie." She strolled into our room, and I finished up a sketch of a small bird.

"It's beautiful. Is it for Katniss?"

"Yeah, for when she comes this weekend. If she can make it."

"I hope she can, I haven't seen her for almost 7 months now." She sat quietly, watching me finish my sketch. I put down my pencil and kissed her lightly. How I was lucky enough to meet her, I'm not sure. When I was brought to thirteen, I was still head over heels for Katniss. During training, I tried my best to keep my mind off her, but it was hard, until I met Marie. Her lover died helping rebels escape, and she wasn't looking for anything romantic, which is why it was so easy to befriend her. But as the months slowly drifted by, I realized that I was in love with her. Maybe it was her way with words, maybe it was her beautiful smile, maybe it was her love of music, but I was falling irrevocably in love with her. I was afraid to tell her my feelings because I was sure she was still mourning her lover, but a year and a half after we became friends, I kissed her. I couldn't help myself. At first, she was shocked, but she kissed me back eventually. After the war, I realised how lucky I was to have her when I almost lost her to blood loss, but she pulled through. She moved back to 12 with me, because 13 held too many painful memories. She became my wife 4 months later. She was a perfect match for me. Her passion for music rivalled my own for art. She always looked on the bright sign of things, and could cheer anyone up. Her optimism rivalled Prim's. She and Katniss were immediately on good terms.

"Dad?" Our son, Derek, bounded up the stairs with a cookie in his mouth.

"Yes?"

"Aunt Delly is here." I smiled, and scooped him up in my arms, and went downstairs to visit my old friend. With Marie by my side, and my son in my arms, I was settled down and eagerly awaiting the bright future ahead of us.

**Okay, super cliché ending. Sorry. I hope you guys enjoyed this, and even though this story is finished, I would love to hear from you guys anyways. Bye! **


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